The Terrans, as the name implies, are the Humans and are members of the tyrannical Human Confederacy. The Terrans whom we follow are mostly outcasts and exiles that lead to some interesting plot points during the campaign. The Terrans have a unique feature - they can move their buildings so that when trouble comes leave. It's this mobility when used to their advantage that allows the Terrans to get out of harms way when trouble comes knocking. The Zerg are insect-like beings that act as one due to a great hive mind. The Zerg have several abilities that make them special - one is the Creep that enables them to build just about anywhere that their purple ooze-like substance covers. Finally, the Protoss the most highly advanced of the three races they are by far the most unique. They also have the ability to burrow their units enabling them to spring ambushes on the enemy. The Protoss' special abilities are perhaps the most interesting -they have a psychic force field that protects their structures and regenerates over time.

The single player game starts you off as the Terrans where you then spend several levels learning the game and the controls. It is here that you first get familiar with the games user interface (UI). There are some features in Starcraft that are very useful and innovative such as unit queuing, hot keys, and waypoints. These features eliminated many of the tedious tasks previously associated with playing Real Time Strategy games. The majority of the missions are like most Real Time Strategy games - you gather resources, build your units and conquer the enemy. However, there are several other mission types such as Survival where you must survive a set period of time. Several issues that are prevalent in other games have been fixed in Starcraft; perhaps the most annoying issue is that of pathing -though buildings do on occasion cause some glitches.

While somewhat dated, Starcraft's graphics are still impressive after all these years. With dozens of unique unit and building types, it easily stands out as one of the nicest 2D Real Time Strategy games ever produced. The games various single player missions are interspaced with various cinematic sequences that further the storyline. Though dated by today's standard 3D Real Time Strategy games, they are still wonderfully done with animations that help contribute to each unit's personality.

For many games that would be enough but this game also has several different types of Multiplayer Games from playing online with up to eight players on Blizzard's Battle.net or an IPX Network. You can also play head to head with some one via a modem connection and up to four players over a LAN. Also included is a map editor, allowing players to create their own maps. These can then be used in addition to the many included maps for a seemingly endless variation. Blizzard's Battle.net is an easy to use service that allows you to log on and play with numerous other players; in fact you can find thousands of games at any give time going on.

This game not only has done what very few other games have done - stood the test of time - but it has thrived. It still remains fun to play after all these years; in part due to the great community of players that has grown up around it. This community has spawned loads of maps and many campaign variations. I have not only enjoyed playing this game in the past but find that I enjoy it nearly as much today as I did when it first came out. Its graphics and game play can't necessarily stand up to more modern Real Time Strategy games its features have since been brought too many other games including many not made by Blizzard. I not only highly recommend this game but will go so far as to say that this is perhaps one the best Real Time Strategy games ever made.