The design and construction of a long (75-mer) oligonucleotide-based DNA microarray for herpes simplex virus type 2 transcripts is described. This array is utilized to generate an analysis of HSV-2 transcript abundance as a function of conditions of infection of human cells, and global patterns of HSV-2 transcript abundance are compared with those for HSV-1. General similarities in patterns along with notable differences in specific details are noted. These results reveal a marked conservation in the program of gene activity between phenotypically diverged strains.