Fans of the caped crusader have much to cheer about as the 'Dark Knight Rises' craze reaches fever pitch. Finnish mobile phone goliath Nokia has jumped onto the Batman bandwagon and is looking to encash on the obsession with the launch of their Gotham City 3D maps. The joint promotion between Nokia and Warner Brothers is creating waves in the virtual world.

The latest offering from the Nokia stable, which shows of its mapping software prowess, packs a punch and aims at promoting the newest movie in the immensely popular Batman series. Built on a 3D premise, the flash-based site allows one to navigate through a reconstruction of Gotham city.

One can check out the site on Nokia's landing page for a demo and would need to sign in via Facebook to gain access to the app. The virtual Gotham city can be explored at length using the 3D maps. One can get up, close, and personal with Bruce Wayne's hangouts by simply panning through. One can, in fact, get an aerial view of the city and even zoom into iconic Gotham landmarks like Wayne Tower, Wayne Manor, Gotham City Stadium, and Arkham Asylum!

The graphics are realistic and give one the feel of being a part of the environment and setting, rather than being a voyeur. The sound effects of wind and rain are impactful and draw you in. Interestingly, the Nokia map bears an uncanny resemblance to the oh-so familiar Google maps. Currently, only four locations can be visited in the interactive map and are marked with a Bat-Signal. At each location one has to attempt to locate a Bat-shield, which will in turn reveal a question that needs to be answered for a chance to win The Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition Lumia 900 and other goodies like jerseys and Batman's cowl.

Aside from being a clever marketing ploy, Nokia has managed to subtly pitch its mapping software. The site showcases Nokia's capabilities and gives prospective customers a glimpse into what they can expect from mapping app on future Windows Phone. Experts aver that all this is a part of Nokia's extended campaign for its range of Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phones.

Maps have become the "it" thing in the world of smartphones. Players like Apple and Google have showed off their versions of mapping apps in the past few months. Whether Nokia can reinstate its smartphone glory with this ace remains to be seen. For now, fans can revel in getting a slice of the 'Dark Night Rises' action.