by Nancy Gardiner
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 17/97) - Tired of being kicked off Marvin Gardens and landing in jail?

Do you wish, just once, there was something that related more to your city in a board game?

Well, it's on its way. Yellowknife-opoly is heading into production and will soon be coming to town.

About 1,500 copies of the new board game will be ordered by the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

The larger property squares -- which are sold much like advertising spots on the boards of a hockey rink -- have almost all been snatched up at $750 a piece. And about half of the asset or future cards are still available at $75 each.

Three of the board's corners sold for $1,200. The legal firm Peterson Stang Malakoe appropriately bought the "Go to Jail" square, McDonald's got "Free Parking" and city hall starts the game off with the "Go" square. One corner is left.

Properties on the board itself will include: Arctic Dustbusters, NorthwesTel, Adam Dental, Force One Yamaha, Marlin Travel, Yk Inn Group of Companies, Office Compliments, BHP Diamonds, Diavik, Braden Bury Expediting, Yk Catholic Schools, the Gallery and Cave to name a few, said Sue McCannan, administrative assistant for the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

NWT Air purchased all four railroad squares and is turning them into airlines.

"It represents our city, and it's an exciting project. I think it will be a great success, great for tourists to take back with them and good promotion," said McCannan.

"We produced an Edmonton-opoly game. About 4,500 sold last Christmas. That was the second edition of that particular game. There's about five other cities in Canada that have the Canadian games," said Gillian Rees, president of Calgaryopoly Games Inc. in Edmonton. Calgary was the city Rees incorporated in.

"It's a different game from Monopoly, in that you can play it in two hours to completion and it's more fun," says Rees. "It just seemed like a good idea."