Remember the great race game Totopoly?

Horses: hollow cast lead, cardboard on wooden base, die cast metal, and plastic. Photo vzone.virgin.net/vintage.games/shop/totopoly.htm

At one time or another, most people have played the board game Monopoly.

But how many have played Totopoly?

A classic horse racing game invented in 1937, I first played it in England with my brothers in the closing years of the Second World War.

The game is played with 12 horses on a two-sided board. I still have a Totopoly game and it is complete with twelve die-cast horses. These vintage metal horses were from the original games. The horses in games produced during the war years were made of cardboard fitted to a wooden base. Post-war horses were of plastic.

The game has two phases – first the acquisition of stables and the training of horses then, turning the board over reveals a racecourse. Players then race their horses and bet on the race results. The game has Monopoly-style money and various playing cards providing the player with an advantage or a disadvantage. These include cards such as Owners’ Club, Veterinary Surgeon’s Reports, Trainer’s Reports, as well as cards for forage bills and veterinary bills.

Playing time for the whole game was about an hour and a half although, by using different rules, playing time could be reduced by acquiring the horses in a more simple fashion and getting quickly to the race portion of the game. Totopoly has been described as simply the best horse racing game for the family to enjoy. I recall my brothers and I found it an entertaining game.

I understand the game remained on sale until the mid-80s. Although no longer on sale many board game collecltors around the world still enjoy playing this classic game.

Does anyone locally recall playing Totopoly?