Overview
From web searches and browsers to email and document storage, Google has its fingers in plenty of different online pies. Many of its services have become such a part of our daily lives that we no longer give them much thought, but every now and then the company has fun with one of its platforms — bringing Pac-Man, Mario Kart and Where's Waldo? to Google Maps, for example.
Earlier this year, in its latest entertaining attempt to direct everyone towards a specific product, Google brought back another retro title — combining Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? with Google Earth. Sparking immediate flashbacks to the best parts of primary school, the game sent users searching for the titular red-clad international thief as part of a jaunt called The Crown Jewels Caper. And now you can do so all over again, thanks to two new games: Tutankhamun's Mask and Recover the Keys to the Kremlin.
As always, something valuable has been stolen and its your job to find it. After the first game, however, you're not hunting down Sandiego. Instead, you're working with the now-reformed ex-thief to solve cases. In Tutankhamun's Mask, you're tasked with tracking down master climber Le Chevre, who has stolen the titular artifact. And in Recover the Keys to the Kremlin, master origamist Paperstar is the target, absconding with another treasure.
Anyone keen to play simply needs to head to the Google Earth app on Android or iOs, or visit the desktop version in chrome, and look for the Pegman icon. From there, it's time to start sleuthing — by hopping between countries, visiting landmarks, talking to locals and sorting through clues such as "I heard she exchanged all of her money for yen", "all I know is that he said he wanted to buy a bagel with a schmear" and "the person you were looking for was here, and she wanted a ton of olive oil". In the process, you'll put your world trivia knowledge to the test and get a hefty dose of nostalgia.
Now that all three games have been released, that's it for the Carmen Sandiego-Google Earth collaboration. Of course, this trio of time-fillers aren't going anywhere, so you can spend as much time as you like playing gumshoe and reliving your childhood across the series. Or, there's always Netflix's Carmen Sandiego, a new animated series following the beloved character (as voiced by Gina Rodriguez).
Check out trailers for both new games below, and visit Google Earth's Tutankhamun's Mask and Recover the Keys to the Kremlin entry points to start playing:
Via Google Earth.