• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 2, 2007

Google has pulled out its full bag of tricks to help promote The Bourne Ultimatum, the third installment in the Bourne franchise opening August 3 and starring Matt Damon as an ex-assassin seeking his true identity. In its Ultimate Search for Bourne with Google game launched July 16, participants employ Google properties like Web Search, Maps, Translate and YouTube to try to find Bourne as he travels from Paris to Tangier, London and New York.

Players can also use Web "cameras" that can be positioned to capture images of the elusive Bourne. And to receive clues and see how they're doing in the contest, they can add the Search for Bourne widget (or "gadget" in Google-speak) to their iGoogle pages. Universal Pictures worked with creative agency Big Spaceship to develop the game, which builds on previous campaigns Google has helped create for other blockbusters such as The Da Vinci Code and Mission: Impossible III.

The search giant is making a specialty of promoting such high-profile thrillers by intertwining intricate plot lines with its online tools. The Bourne game "offers users the chance to experience the themes of the film while using Google products in an engaging and fun way," says Dylan Casey, Google product manager. Of course, that begs the question: Why doesn't Bourne just Google himself to find out who he is?