Some gamers are none too happy with Microsoft today after the "Halo 3" beta video game was not available to play as promised.

The company had said it would allow gamers today to play some of the multiplayer elements of the game, which is expected to go on sale Sept. 25. People who own the Xbox 360 game "Crackdown" were invited to participate in the beta trial version of "Halo 3." But those players found today they couldn't access the game.

Gaming site Gamespot says "pandemonium" has ensued following the delay.

"Halo" developer Bungie has a short note online addressing the problem:

Folks are reporting problems downloading the "Halo 3" beta via "Crackdown" this morning. We have alerted the appropriate Live authorities and they are taking care of the problem as we speak. More news as it comes in.

Microsoft gaming guru Major Nelson's Web page was so overloaded that it now has a brief message about the situation. "Bungie Studios is working with the Xbox Live team to resolve this as quickly as possible -- stay tuned," Nelson writes.