Starting Saturday, Google Maps will include a revolutionary new feature. Using what we’re sure is cutting-edge proprietary technology, it will allow users to answer one of life’s most persistent questions: Where’s Waldo?

Yes, it’s the latest in Google’s long-running tradition of April Fools’ Day pranks. But it’s actually going live in Maps – and for some, it’ll be a welcome dose of nostalgia. The “Where’s Waldo” books, which were wildly popular in the 1990s, were known as “Where’s Wally?” in their original British incarnation. Creator Martin Handford’s incredibly detailed, colorful drawings, full of goofy visual gags, were tailor-made for drawing in young fans.

The Google Maps minigame reproduces original drawings from the series, but tags them as real locations including a beach in Australia and a ski slope in Chile. Players must scroll around the images to find Waldo and his friends. You’ll have to find Waldo in each map before advancing to the next one. The Google version arguably adds some fun to the exercise, including by tracking which characters you’ve found in each illustration.

The minigame is already active in the desktop version of Maps, where it can be accessed through a pop-up image of Waldo on the edge of the app. According to The Verge, it should also be available on Android and iOS versions starting some time Saturday, and will be active for a week.

两周前，谷歌地图启用了一款全新功能。通过目前谷歌最先进的技术，用户终于能解决一直以来最想知道的问题：威利在哪里？

谷歌素有愚人节推出恶搞活动的传统，今年的创意就是找威利，而且这次是在谷歌地图上寻找，对一些人来说，这更像勾起童年的美好回忆。威利来自上世纪90年代风行一时的系列童书《威利在哪里》（Where’s Waldo）。作者马丁·汉德福德是英国插画作家，他笔法极为细腻，绘图色彩丰富，加上善用滑稽梗，吸引了大批年轻粉丝。

此次谷歌地图模仿了《威利在哪里》系列童书中原画形象，但是将书中人物设置为现实世界某个地理位置的标签，比如澳大利亚的一片沙滩、智利的一道滑雪斜坡。玩家用滚轮滑动图片可以找出藏在其中的威利和朋友们。只有找到当前页张地图里的威利，用户才能进入下一张图。谷歌的版本无疑给寻找过程增加了一些乐趣，比如玩家可以回顾在之前的图中找到过哪些角色。

上述小游戏先在桌面版谷歌地图本中上线，玩家可以通过应用边缘弹出的威利图像进入游戏。据美国科技媒体The Verge报道，上周六智能手机的安卓和iOS系统里也已上线，将持续一周。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审稿：夏林