BUILDING a hotel at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, or houses in the county town's Hazlitt Theatre may sound like a planning nightmare - but it is all part of the fun of Kent's new Monopoly game.

Players of the board game will now be able to "buy" some of the county's major landmarks, including Brands Hatch, Ashford International Station and Kent County Cricket Club.

The game was officially launched at Leeds Castle and Brands Hatch, near West Kingsdown, ending guesswork over which landmarks would be given pride of place on the board.

Canterbury Cathedral has been given the £400 Mayfair spot - the most expensive square - while Sittingbourne was chosen to be £60 Old Kent Road, the cheapest.

The Kent Messenger is also on the board as Community Chest, the square where bonuses and prizes are handed out to players. The game has been produced by Winning Moves UK, which polled people in Kent on their favourite landmarks to help decide where they should be placed on the board.

Leeds Castle and the Hazlitt Theatre both proved popular in the votes. The castle is on the £380 Park Lane square - the second most expensive - and the theatre, in Earl Street, is in the £300 Regent Street spot.

Spokesman Graham Barnes said: "About 70 or 80 per cent of the places on the board were decided by votes. The Hazlitt Theatre scored very well and we generally like to give theatres expensive property anyway.

"The Kent Messenger seemed an ideal choice for Community Chest because of all the work it does in the community throughout the county."

The game is available from toy shops across Kent now and has already had the highest advance sales of any of the county editions of the game.