THE British version of the board game Monopoly is to be given its first major revamp since it went on sale Britain 70 years ago.

The game, based around 28 London streets and stations that were once household names, is being updated to reflect the changing face of the capital.

In the new, limited edition version of the game due to go on sale in July they will be replaced by tourist destinations familiar to millions around the world.

Parker, which manufactures the game, has yet to draw up a final list of addresses although it confirmed that they will include the London Eye, Covent Garden and Wembley Stadium.

The four railway stations — King’s Cross, Marylebone, Paddington and Fenchurch Street — have been replaced by Gatwick, Heathrow, London City and Stansted airports.

The utility squares (electricity and water works) have also been updated and replaced by what Parker says will be “two forms of communication”.

But not everything will change. The four corner squares — Go, Jail, Go to Jail (do not pass Go, do not collect £200) and Free Parking — remain the same, as do Chance and Community Chest squares.

However, players who land on the Chance square will pick up cards with updated penalties and prizes such as paying the congestion charge or winning the National Lottery.

A prototype of the new game will go on display at Toy Fair 2005, a trade event starting today at the Excel exhibition centre in East London.

Phil Spencer, a presenter on the Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location, said: “The face of London has changed considerably over the past 70 years and property prices have risen to values never imagined in the 1930s.

“We have seen particularly strong development in areas such as Angel Islington, which languished near the bottom of the ladder in the Thirties.”

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