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HBO is planning to promote the new season of "Sopranos" by using Google Maps. Time Warner's cable network plans to form interactive maps of New Jersey to keep track of the characters and where events occur, as well as a way to help viewers remember old storylines.

The new season of "Sopranos" begins March 12 after being off the air nearly two years. AdAge says HBO is likely the first advertiser to have paid Google to its search technology. HBO is also buying search terms to drive traffic to its homepage. The maps are scheduled to go live February 27.

"The Google thing, we are really excited about," Courtney Monroe, HBO's senior VP of advertising told AdAge.

"It is a geo-visual tour of the TV series, a very interactive way to get people caught up. We love doing things that haven't been done before, and the notion of super-imposing fictional events of the show on to real-life locations gave us a huge kick."

Charting the exploits of fictional mobsters is already a popular pastime. Fans of the show can use the Google Maps mashup if they don't want to pay for the real tour, or want something a little more detailed than New Jersey's NJ.com's map.

In conjunction with the season promotion, fans can become virtual hit men by playing "Whack a Soprano," HBO's new interactive game.

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