Ubisoft has released four of its older games for free - Far Cry, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Rayman Raving Rabbids and Ghost Recon. They are supported by in-game advertising and will require a free Ubi.com account to play. Unfortunately, this is US-only, so you’ll need to have a Ubi account with an US address, though it’s easy to create one even if you aren’t in the region.

Grab the games from 3D Downloads and Gamer’s Hell.

Having already released two free map packs for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Ubisoft announced that it is going to release one final map pack to the community and is offering the chance to beta test it. Those interested in testing the pack, which will include a new Siege mode, should head here. As an incentive, the announcement offers word that beta testers stand to “win exclusive GR goodies.”

The first patch for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is out, updating the tactical-shooter to v1.06. It addresses several bugs and other issues. Grab the patch for the retail edition from 3D Gamers, FileFront, Strategy Informer, VGPRO and Worthplaying. The patch for the downloadable edition is available from 3D Gamers, FileFront and Worthplaying.

The first ever piece of downloadable content for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter will be revealed exclusively at the Dodge booth at this year’s E3. Gamers will not only be able to preview the content, but also play it first-hand.

Located at booth number F5 in the West Lobby, the downloadable content will be unveiled officially on Wednesday and will be shown from 11am to 6pm. Thursday will see it showcased from 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 6pm; it will be available all day on Friday, the last day of the show.

Ubisoft has announced that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and will be hitting stores on March 9. As for the PC version: it has been delayed to May.

Here’s a Q&A on the PC version:

Why did you delay the other versions?
To achieve better quality and deliver all the features we wanted to have in the game. GRAW PC is a project developed specifically for this machine so its development cycle was different from that of the other platforms.

What are the main differences between consoles and PC builds?
We have a gameplay that is very different from the gameplay of the console version; for instance the ghosts are controlled in a way that is specific to the PC, with a much more accurate order system. This involves adapting all the game content (including reprogramming completely the enemy AI) and tuning it to this way of playing. We shared the storyline and setting of the XBOX 360, but all the rest had to be reworked, to appeal to a GR1 audience while at the same time taking into account the new PC specific features. The other major differences are, of course, full first person control, and PC-specific multiplayer modes.

How is GRAW for the PC going to kick ass?
We had some very ambitious designs for the multiplayer, and we did not advertise on the exact content until we were sure to be able to deliver it. Things such as simulating a fully interactive physical environment over the network were risky, but we are now comforted that the cooperative mode will deliver unprecedented experience of multiplayer gameplay. The domination mode is also very promising as it changes the control of areas to something more interesting than simply capturing flags. More info to come soon.

Coming as both bad and good news to Ghost Recon fans is the word of delay… and the game being (apparently) pushed forward. First, the bad news: the PC edition of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter has been delayed again, and is now slated for a “quarter two” release this Summer. However, the same cannot be said for the console versions: the Xbox 360 version of the game will be hitting stores March 10, a bit earlier than expected, with the Xbox version following on March 17 and the PS2 version expected by the end of the month.