Here's a nice surprise from Google's Maps team: Just like Gmail, Google Maps now also has the Labs feature (it's the little green vial in the top right menu), which introduces experimental new features for you to try out.

Right now, you can try out nine new features (all disabled by default):

Drag 'n' Zoom - lets you zoom in on a specific part of the map by drawing a box.

Aerial Imagery - gives you rotatable, high-resolution overhead imagery, but it's only available in certain areas. Google plans to add more over time, though.

Back to Beta - OK, this one is a little weird. It lets you have a beta tag on Maps (just like Gmail). Only for hardcore Google users.

Where in the World Game - test your geography knowledge by guessing the names of countries from satellite imagery. I lost days playing a similar game on Facebook, and I forgot everything I've learned. Sigh.

Rotatable Maps - north facing up is just one way to look at a map. Now you can rotate it any way you like.

What's Around Here? - adds a second search button that searches for "*", returning the top results in the current view. I've actually been waiting for this for a long time; it makes searching for certain POIs within some area a lot easier.

LatLng Tooltip - see the exact latitude and longitude next to your cursor.

LatLng Marker - drop a marker anywhere on the map, showing the latitude and longitude of that location.

Smart Zoom - stops you from zooming into an area if imagery is not available.