A scavenger hunt in Hong Kong, historical time travel through New York City, or a crime mystery played out in the Old Town of Heidelberg the whole world is the playground with GPS Mission. And now, players can explore it using their Apple iPhone 3G. Orbster GmbH’s location-based mobile phone game is available as a free download from the ’iPhone App Store’ and includes many new features. Orbster GmbH managing director Georg Broxtermann says the company is "very happy to offer GPS Mission as the first GPS game for iPhone that can be played anywhere in the world."

Mobile phones with Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality are more popular than ever. Apart from the conventional GPS applications, such as route planning, many users are discovering the new and exciting possibilities which location-based services provide for instance: Gaming!

"Games are among the most intriguing location-based services," explains Broxtermann. "The iPhone is the perfect mobile phone for exploring this new genre of games. By combining a built-in GPS receiver, a mobile data flatrate plan which is automatically included in the package, and an interactive user interface, the device delivers everything you need for a consummate GPS gaming experience."

Thus, accomplishing GPS Missions created by other players becomes an even greater thrill. And the offering is impressive: The global GPS Mission community has come up with location-based games in more than 50 countries around the world. You can design your own mission at www.gpsmission.com with ease no programming skills are required. All you need is an interesting location and your imagination.

If you are ready to go exploring, just use iPhone 3Gs integrated map to locate an exciting mission and youre set to go. With the new ’Activity Stream’ feature, users can now see where in the world other GPS Missions are being played at any given time whether it is a music quiz in Brazil, an athletic challenge in Taiwan or a photo safari going on in Australia.

Another new feature is the ability to share your gaming experience with others, in real time, and not just within the GPS community, but also with all of your friends on Facebook, one the largest social networks in the world. The ’Waymark’ function allows players to leave text and photo messages at their respective locations, anywhere and anytime.

Wherever you play, you will find virtual gold, trophies and souvenirs. "These trophies are such great collectibles," enthuses Laurens van Houdt, one of GPS Missions most passionate users. For the 21-year-old Dutch university student from Nijmegen, the best thing about Orbsters first GPS game is the fact that he can play it outdoors. He is most taken by the small missions, which are not only great fun, but also tell players a lot about the history of a place.