A new version of the board game Monopoly featuring Oxford landmarks is being hailed as a runaway success by city stores - but a pub landlady claims the idea is far from original.

Lillian Beesley Lillian Beesley, 40, landlady at Walter Mittey's, on Osney Island, has pointed out that the book-laden shelves surrounding the bar have featured Monopoly-style place names for years.

Bar room opinion suggests it may have been introduced by a former American landlord called Steve, who installed many of the curiosities that still feature at the pub.

Mrs Beesley, 40, is pictured with part of the Monopolised shelving.

The new Oxford version of the game features the prestigious Randolph Hotel, which is offered at a snip at £350, the world-famous Ashmolean Museum for just £400, and the Oxford Mail appears on the Community Chest square.

Phil Porter, manager of W H Smith in Cornmarket, Oxford, said there had been massive demand for the game since the first stocks arrived on Thursday. He said: "It will be the best-selling game this Christmas, there's no doubt about it."