Our Information Service provides a variety of services such as those you might find at other on-line systems, although it is only part of the whole CRC package to which every user is entitled.

Within the Information Service, users can:

• explore discussion forums on a wide range of topics, from astronomy to religion and beyond
• access forum-specific file areas, where they can upload and download files on their favorite topics in addition to contributing to the discussions
• use electronic mail, either within the CRIS system or out across the Internet
• check current information on news, weather, and sports
• search over 120 gigabytes of file libraries on a myriad of topics -- programming, games, education, business, graphics, utilities, and others
• enter multi-player games of all sorts, including battling vessels in deep space, attacking the financial institutions of the world, and exploring deep dungeons, as well as traditional games such as chess, checkers, and backgammon
• join global conferences, allowing them to communicate in real-time to other users within the CRIS system, or to connect to the Internet Relay Chat system and discuss hundreds of topics with people around the world

The Information System also has special forums and chat lines for beginning users, as well as providing on-line Customer Support representatives to answer questions and assist with problems.

The Concentric Research Information Service not only allows you to access all of this content but also allows you to access the Internet Gateway and to BBS Direct.