If you had told me ten years ago that I'd be playing a match of Quake 3: Arena through Internet Explorer, I'd have most probably called you crazy. After all, it was the most graphically impressive and system intensive game of its time. It even required a graphics card! But id Software have achieved the impossible: they've managed to create a version of Quake 3: Arena and its expansion pack, Team Arena, that runs right from the browser. And, better still, it's totally free! There haven't been many cuts made in the content department, either. Although a few of the maps have been reworked, this is essentially the same game that has been at the forefront of gaming as a sport for the last decade. The framerate is silky smooth and the gameplay still as solid as its ever been.

Newcomers to the Quake series can go through a brief tutorial that's built right into the game. You can skip the tutorial if you're already familiar with everything, but the one-on-one botmatch that follows is compulsory. The outcome of this game determines your skill level, which is linked to the Quake Live matchmaking system. From there you can jump right into the fast-paced multiplayer through the game's slick web interface. It's definitely worth trying out.

Quake Live is currently only available to those who have an invite to id Software's "Beta Center" and who are running a Windows XP or Windows Vista machine. The final version will also support Apple's OSX operating system.

I have no invites available on my account yet, but posting in the Quake Live forum thread created by Superfast Oz should net you one quite quickly.

Don't forget to wear your Neoseeker clan tag!

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