Burning Crusade in alpha testing

With World of Warcraft the hottest massively multiplayer online role-playing game going and an international blockbuster, there are few limits to what players would do to be the first to get their hands on the game's first expansion, The Burning Crusade. Except of course, keep it a secret.

The developer has begun a Burning Crusade Friends and Family Alpha Test for relatives and associates of its employees, but before the prospective testers can play the expansion, they must read an end user license agreement, helpfully posted online.

While the agreement is posted on the game's official Web site on a page accessible to anyone with the URL, it contains a clause strictly forbidding participants from even acknowledging the program's existence:

"The existence of the Friends and Family Alpha Test and all elements thereof (including without limitation this Agreement) is confidential, and you agreement to maintain secrecy associated with the Friends and Family Alpha Test until such time that Blizzard releases such information publicly."

A Blizzard representative confirmed for GameSpot that Burning Crusade is currently undergoing internal testing at the company.

When the Burning Crusade releases later this year, it will feature two new playable races, an extended level cap, flying mounts, and more. For more information on the expansion, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.