I think they still accept new free accounts, but only from certain countries.
I've still been unable to go to my mail account, and I'm not the only one:
http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/mail.lycos.com.html
(Look at their comments section)
It's been like 2 weeks, and no access.
Clicking the mail tab on the lycos page does not help.
Their email interface had improved from their early days.