The Pokemon Go craze hit a high Thursday after a player in Austria chasing one of the computer game's virtual cartoon monsters stumbled across an illegal cannabis garden, police said.

The young man noticed a "strong smell" coming from a greenhouse at the back of a garden in Weibern in northern Austria and informed police, a spokeswoman told AFP.

The 50-year-old owner of the house has been charged under drugs laws.

The hugely popular smartphone app uses satellite locations, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings. It has already been blamed for a slew of accidents and traffic violations.