In the beginning, before college students spent countless hours wasting their time playing Nintendo 64, another game was used as a means of procrastination — Pong.

Boasting two dimensional black and white graphics, slick rectangular paddles and a square ball, Pong provided hours upon hours of video game fun.

Now, through a new game, Web surfers can reminisce about the days when Atari was the latest in video game technology, and possibly win some money.

iPong combines the fun of the traditional Pong game with game-show-style trivia questions.

“Because of the similarity of the name iPong with the Atari game Pong, it was decided to incorporate the Atari classic into the trivia game,” Bridget Becker, operations manager for WebQuest International Inc., said.

The game has been available for play on the Internet since March 30.

“The object of the game is to accumulate as many points as possible within a week of play,” Becker said. “A grand prize is awarded to any player who beats all three segments of the game in one session.”

Visitors to the Web site are immediately greeted by the animated face of Buzz Nausium, the host of the game.

The game begins by giving players three chances to beat the original game of Pong.

Classic Pong is followed by an opportunity to answer 12 trivia questions in a variety of categories.

Categories include the arts, business, computers, entertainment, games, the home, recreation, science, sports and travel. Players must choose two categories, which may be changed with every new game.

In the trivia portion of the game, interesting facts about the original Pong are posted at the top of the screen.

For example, it states that Pong was created in 1973 by Nolan Bushnell, who founded the company of Atari.

Additional points can be scored in the Pingdom of Earth, a game described in a press release as “a 3-D environment that sends the ball crashing off walls, ceilings and ‘other things.'”

According to Becker, about half of the players currently registered to play iPong are college students.

The first three winners since the game launched have also been college students.

Prizes are awarded every week. Players can receive $250 for first place, $125 for second place, $75 for third place and $50 for fourth place.

The grand prize is $500 and is given to the player who completes a flawless game of iPong in one session.

Becker suggests players to read the “Tips and Tricks” section on the page before playing and to use Netscape version 4.0 so that the game will run smoothly.

Students interested in iPong can begin playing after a short registration process.

The site can be found on the Internet at www.ipong.com.