After a notoriously poor first foray into the mobile gaming market, Nokia announced last month that it would be revising and re-releasing its N-Gage brand, but this time in the form of a service rather than a mobile phone hybrid.

N-Gage First Access is a gaming platform that will eventually be supported across the majority of its mobile range, and has finally gone ‘live', offering users a range of content initially tailored for Nokia's N81, N82 and N95 handsets, with support for more phones on the way.

Nokia's surveys suggest that 90 percent of users want to play games, but few are willing to get involved, a situation it plans to turn around with the new service. There will be a strong community element this time around, with ‘N-Gage Arena' allowing members to play against one another and discuss their experiences.

There are currently only six games available, including FIFA 08 and World Series of Poker Pro Challenge, but allegedly 30 are being readied for future release.

Users of compatible phones can sign into the service through their handset, or you can keep an eye on www.n-gage.com for upcoming announcements.

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