Solve Mysteries of Ancient Civilizations with ‘National Geographic: World of Secrets’ on Facebook

WASHINGTON — For years, fans of National Geographic have observed the adventures of the Society’s intrepid writers, photographers and explorers from afar. Now, National Geographic has created a game that allows players and their friends to team up and join in the adventure via Facebook. “National Geographic: World of Secrets” injects dynamic gameplay into ancient civilizations and explorations in National Geographic’s first game for the social-sharing platform. The game combines 27 hidden-object challenges in seven exotic locations with social gameplay, creating an exciting, free-to-play online game that introduces players to ancient civilizations around the globe.

As the game begins, players find themselves at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they are introduced to Ada Wellsboro. Wallace Wellsboro, Ada’s father, a journalist and National Geographic explorer, has gone missing, and she needs help locating him. Ada leads players through a hidden-object search to gather the resources needed for the rescue mission. Circling the globe, players will encounter other explorers, solve puzzles, participate in quests and uncover the secrets of ancient civilizations. From the jungles of Cambodia and the rain forests of the Yucatan to the icy wilderness of Alaska and the illustrious halls of Great Britain’s museums, adventure awaits at every turn.

Each detailed hidden-object scene offers unique artifacts to collect and mysteries to unlock. As each hidden object is uncovered, new opportunities to craft equipment and travel to exotic locations are unlocked. Players can participate in more than 160 unique quests, and the artifacts from these worldwide adventures can be used to create a custom museum exhibit. A leaderboard updated in real time shows who in the global network of players has the highest score in each quest, encouraging participants to compete against each other for bragging rights, extra points and energy for future missions. Players can also connect with their Facebook friends to send and receive rare items, explore each other’s museums and gather resources and energy for future quests. Real characters — including Egyptologist Howard Carter, volcano explorer Robert Griggs, inventor and second National Geographic Society President Alexander Graham Bell and Mayanist Sylvanus Morley — as well as fictional characters take players through the exciting storyline around the world.

“National Geographic: World of Secrets” was created by National Geographic Games. It is free to play, with additional in-app purchases available for faster gameplay. Fans can follow National Geographic Games on Twitter @NatGeoGames for promo codes, game tips and news about upcoming games.

Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. With a mission to inspire people to care about the planet, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines, National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, music, radio, films, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.