Listen up, gumshoes: Carmen Sandiego is on the loose again and it’s up to you to catch her. This time, she’s not on your Apple IIe, Commodore 64, TV, or Netflix. The V.I.L.E. mastermind is loose on Google Earth.
In a partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Google Earth has reimagined the classic game “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” using the globe-trotting super-thief to trick kids into learning about geography.
“The Crown Jewels Caper” sets the stage with Carmen about to disappear from London into the great wide world, pilfered treasures in tow and bound for her secret hideout. The only thing standing in her way are members of the ACME detective agency, who must head to Google Earth, gather clues, interview witnesses, look for the yellow stick figure icon, and hopefully track down the elusive Carmen. Along the way you’ll learn about flags, currency, language, and other bits of global trivia that will come in very handy at the next pub quiz.
“[O]ur game is an homage to the original. It’s for all those gumshoes who grew up with the chase, and for the next generation feeling that geography itch for the first time,” Vanessa Schneider, program manager at Google Earth and serious Carmen Sandiego fan, said in a blog post.
“The Crown Jewels Caper” is out now, and more of Carmen’s world-traveling mischief is coming soon. To get started on your mission, head to Google Earth on Chrome, Android or iOS. Good luck, gumshoes!
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