Surreal Software's Stuart Denman sent along an e-mail with word that they're accepting applications for beta testers on the first Drakan patch. Here are the details:

Surreal is now accepting applications for beta testers for the Drakan Winsock Patch. The patch improves the multiplayer experience considerably by replacing DirectPlay with Winsock and reworks the network code to improve bandwidth and stability. The patch also allows the dedicated server to run under Windows NT.

You must have purchased a full retail CD of Drakan and previous beta-testing experience on other games is a bonus. The beta testing period will last no more than 1 week starting on Friday Aug 27. To apply, send the following information to beta@surreal.com:

* Full name
* Player Name (nick name) you will be using while beta-testing the patch
* E-mail address
* ICQ # (if available)
* Telephone number where you will be playing Drakan
* City, State, Country
* Machine specification, including CPU, memory, 3D video card,sound card
* Network connection (Modem speed or Cable/DSL/T1, etc.)
* Number of hours you are willing to spend per day testing.
* Previous games you have beta tested (or none)
* The last word on page 32 of the Drakan manual.
* Tell us about your previous experiences with Drakan multiplayer.

Applicants will be selected starting Saturday, Aug 28, so submissions must be received before Monday Aug 30. You will only receive a reply if you have been accepted for the beta.