Hunt for treasure with Google's new April Fools' prank

In an elaborate April Fool's prank, Internet search giant Google has asked users to hunt for buried treasure using a new pirate-style "treasure mode" on its maps.

In an elaborate April Fool's prank, Internet search giant Google has asked users to hunt for buried treasure using a new pirate-style "treasure mode" on its maps.

The company posted a video on YouTube explaining how Street View's "underwater team" discovered a chest containing lost maps belonging to pirate William "Captain" Kidd during an expedition to the Indian Ocean.

The video explained how hidden treasure symbols can be unearthed on the maps, which have been digitised by a special 3D nanoscanner, Sky News reports.

According to the report, the treasure includes a telescope-style Street View function, with sepia-tinged images versions of streets across the globe.

Google claims hidden treasure symbols can be uncovered by shining sunlight on a computer screen, by joining phone and tablet maps together like a puzzle, or even by heatting a laptop over the hob.