tcping.exe is a console application that operates similarly to 'ping', however it works over a tcp port. There are many different implementions of this floating around, written independently by different people. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
If ICMP is blocked, you can't ping the host in the normal way, however, if it is running an exposed tcp service, you can use tcping. It sends a SYN, listens for SYN/ACK response as the ICMP Echo equivalent and measures the time required for the transaction.