Microsoft sends word that the Halo 3 Multiplayer Legendary Map Pack has been released and is ready for purchase in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 points.

After launching in Sept. 2007, millions of fans the world over still log onto Xbox LIVE every day to experience the award-winning action of “Halo 3” multiplayer. That experience expanded first in December with the release of the Heroic Map Pack, and today Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie release the next evolution with the Legendary Map Pack.

Available for 800 Microsoft Points exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, this second major downloadable content offering includes three new multiplayer maps, as well as a bevy of new Forge options.

Avalanche and Blackout revive two fan-favorite maps from previous “Halo” games, while Ghost Town welcomes desolate jungle combat to the experience. And now, using new options in the Forge, players can create more detailed challenges and map variants than ever, while also utilizing a variety of visual effects to create new, unique screenshots and saved films.

Avalanche is a throwback all the way to “Halo: Combat Evolved.” This snowy battlefield was inspired by the original Sidewinder, but the massive, vehicle-oriented objective map adds a twist to its classic predecessor with all new interiors, dramatically reshaped exteriors and brand new vehicle variants. Admire the view from above, as Avalanche also marks the arrival of the Hornet to “Halo 3” multiplayer.

In keeping with the theme of “fan-favorites,” Blackout will fill the void left by fans of “Halo 2’s” Lockout. Although fully re-visualized, this map adheres very faithfully to the tightly wound perfection of the original, but eschews Forerunner architecture in favor of industrial human design. Blackout is perfect for fans of small battleground Slayer matches.

The Legendary Map Pack also packs a brand new punch, in addition to the two classics, with Ghost Town – a battle-scarred maze of narrow passages and dangerous ruins. Collapsed ceilings and shell-battered buildings provide both valuable cover and deadly traps, as catwalks and stairways take the fight from claustrophobic ground combat to dizzying rooftop battles. Ghost Town is a mid-sized map ideal for Team Slayer games and smaller, objective types.

As an added bonus, for a limited time only, gamers who purchase the Legendary Map Pack will receive a four month subscription to "Bungie PRO" via Xbox LIVE. Bungie PRO greatly expands the Halo 3 experience by increasing the maximum number of file share storage slots from six to twenty-four while also increasing the total file storage size to 250MB. This will allow players to upload and share more films, maps, screenshots and game-types than ever before.

After downloading the new maps, gamers can register on Xbox LIVE for the “Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack Play & Win Sweepstakes” for their chance to win great prizes including a “Halo 3” Edition console, Halo ActionClix: Scarab Vehicle Pack, a complete set of “Halo 3” Series 1 Action Figures from McFarlane Toys, nearly one million MS Points and much more. Visit www.xbox.com/legendaryplaywin for more details.

The maps of the Legendary Map Pack are available in matchmaking today to those who have purchased the download. Additionally, fans that have yet to purchase the Heroic Map Pack, which released in December, can now download it for free on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.