The Advance Access program represents GameTap's transformation from its months of testing into a full-fledged entertainment network.

Gamers interested in becoming a GameTap Advance Access member can apply by visiting http://www.gametap.com or by picking up coupons at select concerts leading up to the Download Festival, a cutting-edge digital entertainment experience, at the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Francisco, CA on October 8th. Concert and festival attendees can also register online at select events. Only a limited number of people will be selected on a daily basis.

"Advance Access members will get a sneak preview of the GameTap service before its launch this fall," said Dan Reiss, Head of Marketing for GameTap. "Players will get a chance to check out the 'GameTap Vault,' play hundreds of great games, and see just how authentic and faithful GameTap is to the original gaming experience."

GameTap's regular monthly subscription rate is set at $14.95 per month. This rate is comparable to that of other video entertainment subscription offerings, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games that predominantly charge about $15 per month.

Announced last spring and debuting at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, GameTap offers games-on-demand plus original programming via a broadband connected PC. The service offers a wide range of games from classic arcade to PC to popular console. GameTap will launch with hundreds of titles and then roll in additional titles and programming on an ongoing basis. Original programming will feature an exclusive mix of magazine, reality, and lifestyle shows, interviews with the who's who of gaming, celebrity features, and all- new "game trailers" for the GameTap service. Delivered via streaming video, the programming will celebrate games in the same way that Cartoon Network celebrates animation and TNT celebrates drama.