Time to hone those Tetris skills!

You might remember that Tetris Online Inc. announced a Tetris Party Tournament last month to coincide with the release of Tetris Party on the WiiWare service and we've now got additional details on exactly how the contest will work.

Below is the official press release regarding the tournament, as well as details of the individual contests involved in the tournament. You can also check out the official Tetris Party Tournament website for more details on the contest as its December 1st starting date nears.

To celebrate the launch of Tetris® Party, the newest official Tetris® game on WiiWare™, Tetris Online, Inc. today announced that it will host a series of tournaments beginning December 1, 2008. The tournaments will give Tetris Party players the chance to compete for Wii Points™.

This means that now is the time for you and your readers to begin practicing your Tetris stacking, puzzle solving, and Tetrimino racing skills to boost your chances of winning!

The first tournament will comprise four rounds, featuring four unique variants of Tetris Party—Marathon, Field Climber, Shadow, and Stage Racer. At the end of each round, players will receive a rank and confirmation code from the game. (See additional details below.)

The first Tetris Party Tournament begins Dec. 1, 2008 and will run through Jan. 31, 2009. The first of the four rounds will end Dec. 15, 2008. To register, players must visit www.tetrisparty.com/tournament. This is also where players will also input their confirmation code. The confirmation code must be entered once for each round the player participates in. Each player's rank will determine the amount of tournament points they receive for that round.

Five hundred (500) prizes will be awarded, one to each of the top 500 eligible entrants. Final rankings are calculated by totaling the points awarded to each entrant based on his or her results for each round of the tournament. As you can see, it will be really important to submit a score for every round!

ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT TETRIS PARTY TOURNAMENT #1:

Round One: Marathon

Playing Marathon mode (Endless option OFF), try to obtain the highest score possible.

• Starts: 0:00 (GMT) on December 1, 2008.

• Ends: 23:59 (GMT) on December 15, 2008.

Round Two: Field Climber

Playing Field Climber mode, try to get the climber to the goal in the least amount of time.

• Starts: 0:00 (GMT) on December 16, 2008.

• Ends: 23:59 (GMT) on December 31, 2008.

Round Three: Shadow

Playing Shadow mode (Stage 7—Bomberman), try to solve the puzzle in the shortest total time and with 100 percent completion.

• Starts: 0:00 (GMT) on January 1, 2009.

• Ends: 23:59 (GMT) on January 15, 2009.

Round Four: Stage Racer

Playing Stage Racer mode (Route T—Beginner), try to cross the finish line in the least amount of time.

• Starts: 0:00 (GMT) on January 16, 2009.

• Ends: 23:59 (GMT) on January 31, 2009.

Three additional tournaments that will include new challenges are scheduled for 2009. More details are to follow.