Monopoly - The Old And The New

There are many regional and themed Monopoly games available. This week however, the results of an online poll were announced, the idea being, people could vote for the towns they wanted to see on a new 2007 edition. It means little of course, but I was intrigued by the outcome and could not help thinking that something would be lost in playing to the new locations. Call me a traditionalist, but the original properties are not really replaceable in the minds of anyone who has enjoyed as many countless hours playing this game as I have.

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The old locations and their substitutes are as follows :

Old Kent Road xxxxxxxxxx Liverpool
Whitechapel xxxxxxxxxxxxLeeds

The Angel Islington xxxxxxMiddlesbrough
Euston Road xxxxxxxxxxxxCardiff
Pentonville Road xxxxxxxxYork

Pall Mall xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxColchester
Whitehall xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxManchester
Northumberland Avenue xxLondon

Bow Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxDerby
Marlborough Street xxxxxxPlymouth
Vine StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLincoln

Strand xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDundee
Fleet Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeele
Trafalgar Square xxxxxxxxxNorwich

Leicester Square xxxxxxxxxBirmingham
Coventry Street xxxxxxxxxxOxford
PiccadillyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxStoke on Trent

Regent StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxSheffield
Oxford StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxCambridge
Bond Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxNottingham

Park Lane xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxExeter
Mayfair xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSt Albans

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The railway stations are changed to Airports, namely Luton, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow. The final positions were determined by the overall votes secured i.e St Albans polled the highest figure. The relatively small village of Keele featured highly due to the efforts of their University population who ran a vigorous campaign to get featured. And the manufacturers have taken the opportunity to update property costs - whilst Mayfair could be bought for a mere £400, St Albans will set you back a cool £4 million.

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The results will no doubt cause consternation in Liverpool and Leeds who represent the cheap and less desirable areas (though strategically these properties can be very useful in the early stages of a game I seem to remember) and York too might well be disappointed by its position. As I said, none of this means a lot. In fact in researching this piece I discovered (unless I have stumbled on a spoof article) that Monopoly was modernised a year or two ago and the playing pieces now include a mobile phone, roller blade, hamburger and skateboard. Whatever next. Anyone would think this game was made for kids !!!