Classic board game brought to life in city centre

The family board game will take over the city from 27 July to 1 September

A huge version of the classic board game Monopoly is being played out in Leeds - the city in which it was first produced.

The immersive experience has seen the city centre mapped out like a Monopoly board and divided into coloured zones.

Giant versions of the game's iconic tokens, such as the Scottie dog and top hat, have been scattered across different locations for people to find.

Monopoly was licensed for the first time in the UK in 1935 to Leeds firm Waddingtons.

An exhibition is also being held at Leeds City Museum looking at the game's history

Norman Victor Watson, managing director and later chairman of John Waddington Ltd, was the very first person to play the game at his home in Horsforth.

Waddingtons Games was sold to Hasbro in 1994, with Monopoly now played by more than one billion players in 114 counties across the globe.

The immersive experience aims to bring the board game to life, using key locations and landmarks as the board.

People can roll the dice, get out of jail free and pass go with a series of puzzles to solve along their way.

Andrew Cooper, Chief Executive at LeedsBID, which is behind the idea, said: “Monopoly Leeds Takeover is the ultimate placemaking game, paying homage to the city where it was produced so many years ago."

To participate players can pick up a map of the city which highlights the main game areas and then choose how to play their own game, with numerous starting points.

The overall challenge is to complete a series of puzzles on the back of the map as people work their way around the game, with clues hidden in different locations.

A host of other events and activities are also taking place across the city to coincide with the Monopoly 'takeover'.

These include an exhibition at Leeds City Museum which charts the history of the game and its links with the city.

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