Toy makers are developing short-form versions of traditional games to match the faster pace and shortened attention spans of modern life.

Hasbro Inc., the largest U.S. game company, will introduce three fast versions of classic board games this year: Monopoly Express, Scrabble Express and Sorry Express.

It's also got a streamlined version of The Game of Life that uses a Visa card rather than cash and a "LifePod" that electronically keeps track of points to help keep the game moving.

"A lot of people like playing games, but they want resolution," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes magazine. "And that's why you see some of these quicker games coming out."

About 20 minutes seems to be the new target for a game.

There have always been fast games, but the changes to existing classics is a new response.

The Game of Life: Twists & Turns Edition lets players determine ahead of time how long they want to play.

Monopoly is getting an optional "speed die," rolled in addition to the regular two dice. Certain rolls will move the player to the next available property, moving the game along.

Hasbro's amended games use concepts and pieces from the classic versions, although the play is entirely different.

In Monopoly Express, players roll dice labelled with properties and the "Go to Jail" policeman of the classic game. Players get points for building blocks of properties — but lose a turn and their points if they roll three policemen.

A classic Monopoly game can drag on for hours if players end up with comparable positions. But Monopoly Express moves quickly, and players pick a finish line — an amount of money — ahead of time, giving them control over the length of play.

The games are also packaged differently so they can be taken in the car.

The faster games are aimed at people like Massachusetts mom Michelle Hastings, who admits she has cheated to get through a game with her 5-year-old daughter.

"A lot of times, you don't play games because they take so long," she said.

Hasbro is not alone in turning to faster games. Seattle-based game company Cranium's Whoonu, released in 2005, quizzes players on their competitors' likes and dislikes. It takes 20 minutes or less to play.

"It puts the control back in the consumers' hands," said Chris Byrne, an independent toy consultant based in New York.

DVD games even speedier

Technology is also pushing changes in games. Pieces on a board may not have a lot of appeal to children brought up with video games and computers.

"When they're 10, they're more likely to be texting each other on cellphones," said Sean McGowan, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Game companies are turning to DVD games, which can be speedier and more interactive than traditional board games. Mattel's "Scene It" trivia games incorporate DVDs that contain clips from movies and TV shows along with a board. Play lasts about half an hour.

Hasbro has also released a DVD version  of Clue, which has butler and inspector characters who walk players through the game with a narrative storyline.

Players make their own games

It's not just companies that are speeding up older games.

Tracie Broom, a San Francisco writer, and her friends cannibalize Scrabble to play a quicker word game — called alternately Anagram or Grab Scrabble.

They put the Scrabble tiles face down, and flip them over one by one, calling out new words as they are formed, or stealing words from other players. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to play.

"That's one of the reasons why we play it the way we do," Broom said. "It is so much more exciting than Scrabble."