Monopoly - but not as you know it

Posted in 'Neighbourhood' by Richard Catlin

14 September 2009

Google has announced that its latest venture will see it partner with board game giant Hasbro to produce a worldwide version of the classic board game Monopoly.

The game uses Google Maps and Google Earth as the board, and assigns a value to streets and property just like in the board game - with the big difference being that you can own virtually any street in the world.

You'll also be able to build everything from castles to football stadiums, as well as being able to put rubbish tips on your opponents' properties in an attempt to devalue their investments.

The joint venture is as much about showing of just how powerful Google's mapping software has become as promoting the newest version of the game.

Players start with a pretend $3 million each, and properties are purchased on a first-come-first-served basis. You'll be able to get your hands on Downing Street for an absolute snip at $231,000, but purchasing the White House will cost around $2 million.

It's not yet clear how the prices for locations across the globe will be determined. A UK version of the game released in 2006 saw property prices updated and most of the traditional locations replaced, with only Oxford Street surviving - but going up from £300 to £3 million.

Of course, real life neighbourhood ratings are determined by a wide range of factors, including property prices and types, the social class of the people who live there and quite simply, what the local area is like.

You can find all of these things out completely for free on checkmyfile. Discover how any UK postcode is rated from 1-5 stars, and see what the actual price of property is (sorted by type). You'll also be able to get an idea of what the average credit rating is in the area, the social classification and much, much more. You'll even be able to get that all important view from the Google satellite.

So, to find out whether your local area is more Old Kent Road than Park Lane, click here. You can search as many postcodes as you like, instantly and anonymously.