Build with Chrome provides you with virtual LEGO bricks and allows you to put them together to create colorful structures, which you can place wherever you like using Google Maps.

There used to be LEGO software packages with stories and games aimed specifically at at a young audience, but in bringing LEGO to the browser Google is letting LEGO fans of all ages play creatively with the plastic bricks.

This collaboration between Chrome and LEGO originated in Australia, where it has been available for the past 18 months, and is now being extended to the rest of the world in preparation for The LEGO Movie that is being released this month. 

Build is a Chrome experiment that uses the WebGL 3D graphics technology. You can not only build a Lego model but position it in Google Maps. The new features that have been added to the original idea are that you can now share your creations with others in your Google+ circles and there is a  categorization system for completed Builds will help you sort and filter for specific types of structures.

The Build site now has a Build Academy to help you get started as well as the facility to explore the creations of other builders all over the world. This grand mansion built by Luca is to be found in Rome, Italy:

To play you simply need a browser with WebGL. But while it works perfectly with Chrome and Firefox on both the desktop and touchscreen Android devices with a powerful enough CPU, Tech Crunch reports problems in placing bricks using Internet Explorer 11, despite the fact that it is supposed to support WebGL.

Even if you don't want to build something you can have fun roaming the world looking at other people's models.