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Localised version of the popular board game is launched

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• Brighton Pride

Monopoly - Brighton & Hove Edition

Thursday, 16 October 2003

Brighton Monopoly is here, with your chance to be a Hoogstraten in the Brighton rent racket, or plonk a hotel on the Brighton Pier!

At a lavish launch party at the De Vere Grand Brighton on Thursday 16 October 2003, the new version of the popular board game, especially designed for Brighton, was shown for the first time. Major surprises too!

The prime navy blue property spaces (Mayfair and Park Lane in the original version) go to King’s Road and Royal Pavilion, while the more downmarket ‘brown’ spaces (Old Kent Road and Whitechapel) go to West Pier (understandably) and, would you believe it, Preston Park. Not sure residents at Preston Park would be inclined to agree, but perhaps it’s a political move – particularly when Brighton & Hove City Council’s logo occupies that particular square - do not pass Go...do not collect £200. Certainly, there were one or two areas I think could be more deserving of the £60-a-throw property squares…but maybe that would be a little unkind.

Major news on this was that Pride in Brighton & Hove occupy the Madeira Drive square. This is an absolute first, and Pride are obviously delighted – a fitting tribute to the UK’s best diversity event.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Sussex Cricket Club make an appearance, as well as a number of local businesses. Probably the only downfall would be a slightly gratuitous amount of product placement on the board – although, of course, this would have been fine if www.realbrighton.com had been asked!!

Enough sour grapes.

The game was great fun – after a few glasses of wine, some light fingered banking, and bit of dodgy shuffling of Community Chest Cards, I still managed to lose. Despite owning the Royal Pavilion, managing to buy Pride on Madeira Drive and popping a few decent houses on Brighton Marina, they were…alas…all mortgaged to the hilt....typical.

There are some lovely touches on this games (the inclusion of Volks Railway as one of the stations was sweet), as well as a few unbelievable ones…free parking in Brighton?…never! We think this will be the Christmas present of the year!

Brighton & Hove Monopoly is available from WH Smith, Woolworth and most good toy and book stores in Brighton.