Who remembers the Highlands version of Monopoly?
Love it or hate it, the classic board game Monopoly has survived the test of time mainly by reinventing itself in recent years.
The traditional version with money, property, hotels and pieces is still available, but so are digital versions online, children's versions and versions with payment cards as producers aim to keep it relevant – it does date back to 1935 after all.
Part of its appeal has been special edition versions whether sport-themed (I've still got a France '98 version featuring World Cup teams including Scotland), or TV/movies-themed (many hours in my youth were spent playing a Star Wars edition) and there are also ones based on locations.
For local – and visiting – fans of the property trading game, the Highlands and Islands has its own edition, which was launched in October 2010 at Loch Ness, which grabbed the top property position usually occupied by Mayfair.
Scotland's tallest mountain Ben Nevis lands on ‘Old Kent Road’, the cheapest item, and Inverness Town House also features.
The customised board, featuring more than 30 Highlands and Islands landmarks, was unveiled by the game’s maker Winning Moves UK – along with then Inverness Provost Jimmy Gray.
He said at the time: “We are delighted that Inverness Town House features in the Highlands and Islands edition of Monopoly. We hope that this new edition will entice more people to come and visit the area and see for themselves the magnificent quality of environment and lifestyle that we have here in the Highlands and Islands.”
The game caused a wee bit of a stir at the time, with Ross County receiving a higher valuation (£160) on the game's board than Inverness Caley Thistle (£140).
Game officials explained at the time it was a reward for the Dingwall-based club's heroics in reaching the Scottish Cup final in 2010 but that left ICT fans scratching their heads because their side won promotion back to the top flight in the same season.
Elsewhere on the board is The Inverness Courier – on one of the Community Chest markers. It sits between the town house and Inverness College UHI (as it was known then).
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8 / 8Loch Ness was the most expensive property after receiving the largest number of public nominations to be included in the game. It is alongside Cairngorm Mountain in the dark blue set.
Other properties include Isle of Skye, Culloden Battlefield and Highland Wildlife Park. The only local individual to receive a name-check is Adrian Shine, who has became a figurehead in the search and research of the world famous Loch Ness waters.
