A version of the much-loved board game Monopoly has been launched online today.

A version of the much-loved board game Monopoly has been launched online today (9 September) allowing players to play a virtual global game with the help of Google Maps.

The limited-time online free version of the world’s most popular board game allows players to ‘buy’ streets based on Google Maps, competing against participants all over the world.

Competitors can play with the actual streets that are special to them including those within their own neighbourhood, town or city – or across the other side of the world. Players simply create a profile on www.monopolycitystreets.com and begin to acquire properties each day through purchases and trades.

New players are given three million Monopoly dollars to build their virtual empire, earning rent based on streets and properties owned at the time competitors log into the game.

Each street in the world is available for purchase by only one player, increasing the opportunity for trading and interaction among players. Players can instantly set up houses, hotels, skyscrapers and other buildings quickly after acquiring streets to increase their value.

Already the subject of much internet buzz, Monopoly City Streets is actually part of the marketing campaign dreamed up by Hasbro’s advertising agency, Tribal DDB, to promote the release of the new version of the physical game – Monopoly City – where players build a 3-D city in the center of the game board.

In addition to providing map data, Google also made available its development team behind SketchUp, a 3-D modelling tool, to work on a contest allowing players to design their own buildings for use in the game.

For the first time since Monopoly was invented in 1935, game play has changed, removing the need to collect an entire property group before players can build structures on their properties, so a city can be built from the ground up from the first roll of the dice.

Additionally, just like in real life, the value of property and players’ incomes can rise and fall. Players can build structures to increase property values, such as schools or eco-friendly wind farms, or they can sabotage opponents by building sewage plants or prisons on the competition’s property.

Sarah Hoskin, Senior Marketing Manager for US Marketing at Hasbro Games, said: “The online experience for Monopoly City Streets emphasises the exciting dealing and negotiating elements of Monopoly.

“Both Monopoly City Streets and Monopoly City bring new creativity to Monopoly that goes beyond the traditional property streets, green houses and red hotels.”

Since 1935, more than 250 million copies of Monopoly have been sold in 106 countries and 40 languages, with more than 200 different editions of the game.