Microsoft offering games for Xbox Live referrals

Many gamers will tell their friends to sign up for Xbox Live just for the pleasure of owning them in online games. Now, Microsoft is offering a reward to anyone who can convince a new subscriber to sign up for 12 months of the online gaming service--a free copy of Links 2004, Top Spin, or Rallisport Challenge 2.

In an e-mail sent out to Xbox Live subscribers, Microsoft outlined the deal. New subscribers to Xbox Live should visit http://www.xboxlive-friends.com after they've signed up for 12 months of the service. Once there, they need to fill in their new information as well as the name of the person who referred them. According to Microsoft, the referrer will receive the games several weeks later.

The Xbox Live referral offer is good only until July 29. The Microsoft e-mail implied that the referrer had to already be an Xbox Live subscriber, though it did not say so explicitly. The official offer Web site has more-detailed information.