Female character Rey will appear on the next Star Wars Monopoly board after a letter from an eight-year-old fan to Hasbro complaining that she had been left out of the recent version.

Annie Rose wrote a letter to the US toymaker asking why the new Force Awakens Monopoly game failed to feature the character from the latest film in the Star Wars saga.

She wrote: "She belongs in Star Wars monopoly and all the Star Wars games. Without her, there is no Force Awakens! It awakens in her! And without her, the bad guys would've won!"

"Besides," she continued, "Boys and girls need to see women can be as strong as men! Girls matter!"

The letter was published on Twitter by Annie's mother Carrie Goldman.

Hasbro initially responded saying Rey had been left out as they had not wanted to reveal a "key plot line" as the game was released in September, ahead of the movie's release.

But after coming under fire from fans online, Hasbro later responded with an announcement that Rey would appear in the next Star Wars Monopoly game later this year.