C|NET
 July 26, 1996, 4 p.m. PT

by Lee Hamrick

TEN's big game guns 

The competition in the world of online gaming just got a  little fiercer. In its drive to be the best online game  service around, Total Entertainment Network (TEN) has  announced several upcoming additions to its gaming  repertoire--and they're big.

For starters, TEN subscribers can expect Eidos's Big Red  Racing and Confirmed Kill, Accolade's Deadlock, and  Sirtech's Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games next month.  Within the same time frame, SSI's wildly popular war  game, Panzer General, will also grace TEN. If that's not  enough, later this year subscribers can look forward to  such upcoming heavyweights as 3D Realms' first-person  action game, Shadow Warrior; Spectrum HoloByte's  long-awaited jet simulator, Falcon 4.0; and Maxis's  classic, SimCity 2000.

Meanwhile, for strategy buffs, TEN will support  MicroProse's galactic God game, Master of Orion 2:  Battle at Antares. That is, if MicroProse includes  multiplayer support in the final product. Finally, TEN's  own quirky board game, WizWar, will be available  exclusively on the network.

Chris Lombardi, editorial director at TEN, says he is  pleased with the company's progress. Growing in one year  from a staff of 15 to more than 90, TEN has the will and  the ways to make its online gaming experience the  industry standard. Those who Duke-Nukem it out over the  service can already attest to the company's admirable  handling of latency.

Tentatively scheduled to start billing in September, TEN  will offer a flat rate for unlimited gaming as well as an  hourly option. While exact figures have not been  determined for unlimited usage, folks with their own  Internet service provider will be charged $7.50 for the  first three hours of play and $1.25 for each additional  hour. For those without an ISP who need to access TEN  through its provider, the Concentric Network, additional  hours of play will set them back $2.50.

Also, at launch, look forward to daily updates of player  rankings, unique tournament styles, free hours of play for  champions, and even more major game support--and we  mean major. While refusing to drop any names, TEN  representatives made it clear that the service will  continue its dedication to action and strategy.