A RARE 1970s board game has been donated to the The House on the Hill Toy Museum in Stansted.

David Harrison of North Lincolnshire kindly donated an amount of toys and board games, all in beautiful condition, to the museum over the last few months and in amongst the offerings was a very obscure and hard to find BP Offshore Oil Strike game boxed and in mint condition.

Museum curator Alan Goldsmith was delighted to receive the game saying that he has never come across one before.

Made by Printabox (Scotland) Ltd in collaboration with British Petroleum Company (BP) the game was released in the early 70s and the remarkable parallels between the game and the current crisis out in the Gulf of Mexico are amazing. The currency on the money in the game is in dollars and there are playing cards marked Hazards, Blow out! Rig Damaged. Oil Slick Clean-up costs $1m.

Mr Goldsmith said: “The picture on the front of the box is so reminiscent to the disaster with the stormy seas, the oil rig and an overall sense of doom. I was so knocked over by how relevant this game is, made some 35 years ago, to BP’s current crisis today.”

Mr Goldsmith will soon be releasing a price guide book on collectable board games and will be including this rare find in the first edition.

For more information call 01279 813237 or visit the museum website mountfitchetcastle.com