LAN of hope and gory

The LAN party scene here in the UK has really boomed over the last couple of years, with bigger, better and more frequent events, and 2001 is already looking like being another great year for gamers wanting some low ping action whilst quaffing copious amounts of booze and caffeine and screaming abuse at each other across a packed room.

The first big LAN of the year is the 820 player i7, taking place at Newbury Racecourse on the weekend of March 30th. There are still some places left, but you will have to hurry up and register now if you want to get in as the few remaining places are apparently filling up fast. Entry costs £60 for the full three days, and your place is not guaranteed until you have actually paid. Highlights include Counter-Strike, Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament competitions, and a special LAN version of the popular massively multiplayer space strategy webgame Planetarion, with ticks taking place at a frantic rate of one per minute, instead of every hour as they do in the online version! Organisers Multiplay have confirmed that the event will still be taking place despite the current Foot & Mouth epidemic amongst the nation's livestock (llamas are apparently not effected), unless the government introduces some truly draconian travel restrictions to limit the spread of the disease of course. Full details can be found at the i-series website.

Meanwhile on a somewhat smaller scale, RoWeb will be running their own event at Salisbury football ground on the same weekend with a rather more modest £25 price tag and room for up to 75 players. As well as the usual competitions the event will also include DVD movies showing on a big screen, an optional £6 "special curry treat", and a conveniently placed bar in the main gaming area. They even have showers, so the place should smell a little less ripe at the end of the weekend than most LAN party venues...