We may live in different parts of the world, speak different languages, and have different customs, but one thing we have in common is that at some point in our lives there is a good chance that we "Passed GO!" and collected $200 while playing MONOPOLY, the world's most popular board game. And, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of MONOPOLY, Hasbro Inc. will introduce new collector's editions of the classic game across the globe in 2005.

For the very first time, the UK London board has received a complete makeover. The properties are new, rent has rocketed and you can even stack your apartments sky high - now you can wheel and deal in the fast lane, and make your millions in the Big Smoke

It was 1934, the height of the Depression, Charles B. Darrow showed what he called the MONOPOLY game to the executives at Parker Brothers. They rejected the game for what they referred to as "52 design errors." But Mr. Darrow wasn't daunted. Like many other Americans he was unemployed at the time, and the game's exciting promise of fame and fortune inspired him to produce it on his own.

With help from a friend who was a printer, Mr. Darrow sold 5,000 handmade sets of the game to a Philadelphia department store. People loved it! But as demand grew, he couldn't keep up with all the orders and came back to talk to Parker Brothers again. The rest, as they say, is history! In its first year, 1935, the MONOPOLY game was the best-selling game in America.