Starcraft was the game that pioneered the concept of dramatically different races in one game. Other games had toyed with this concept by giving each side different units, upgrades, and spell effects. But Starcraft made the gameplay mechanics fundamentally different for each of its three races, giving them unique paradigms for base building and unit limits.

The Terrans are the most familiar and accessible race to most starting players. They are nomadic humans that must use their many special technologies, upgrades, and add-ons in order to survive. The Zerg are vicious slimy organic entities with teeth and carapaces, controlled by a hive mind. Their creatures and structures heal over time and they have to build on a blanket of primordial ooze. The Protoss are ruthless interdimensional entities with powerful shields and energy weapons. Their Carriers and Reavers can unleash swarms of attack drones to compliment their smaller numbers of units.

What is perhaps most remarkable about Starcraft is how well balanced, yet different, these three races are. There are no super units that will rampage across the map once they've been researched and built. Units do not become obsolete, as is the case with most RTS games. The Zergling, Marine, and Zealot are just as important during the endgame as they are when you're first scouting the map. This is due in part to the way you improve your existing units rather than move past them. But it's also a matter of the way the units' attacks are balanced so well, taking into account how far they can shoot, how quickly they can move, whether they can attack airborne units, and so on. And once each race's spell effects are available, these unit interactions increase exponentially.

Starcraft has one of the most detailed plots of any game I've ever played. In fact, the instruction manual contains twenty-six pages of the history of the three species in the game. Starcraft also did an excellent job of folding its story into the gameplay. Sure, most of the story is told in the cut scenes, but things happen in the context of the game itself, too. Different kinds of mission objectives are used throughout the game, so it's not always a simple matter of wiping all your enemies off the map. Some of Starcraft's scenarios are annoying puzzle missions, but the game by no means relies on these. It has a strong enough AI to hold up without heavy scripting. In fact, skirmishes against computer opponents are notoriously difficult.

The graphics are relatively lo-res sprites, but they hold up because they're so well animated and conceived. Although more recent games look much better, no other real time strategy game has come close to creating the unique and fully fleshed out universe where Starcraft takes place. The excellent sound effects and voiceover work get much of the credit for this. Blizzard has always paid special attention to sound and in this case, it more than makes up for the primitive visuals.

The terrain in Starcraft is simplified; it's composed solely of ground on one of two levels (you have an upper and lower level, connected by ramps) or open areas that can only be crossed by flying units. Since there are no naval units, rivers and seas may as well be open space. Trees offer cover for smaller units by giving them a defensive bonus, but this is one of Starcraft's better-kept secrets; you'll find people who've finished the game and never knew this. Also, units firing from above get a bonus. Otherwise, the maps are merely colorful backgrounds. While this could be perceived as a shortcoming, I feel it streamlines the game by allowing players to concentrate on unit management without suffering from task overload.

One of the most annoying things about Starcraft is the limit of twelve units to a group, especially if you're playing the Zerg, who rely on unruly swarms rather than, say, the Protoss' small groups of powerful crack troops. But it's fairly easy to get around this; instruct your groups to follow each other and just control the lead group.

Starcraft has a thriving multiplayer game on the Internet. Consider the numerous third party maps, scenarios, and even campaigns that are available for download. Consider, too, the game's phenomenal sales. There are people playing Starcraft all over the world. Just log onto Blizzard's battle.net and you'll find thousands of them. The multiplayer aspect of the game extends the amount of time you'll spend playing Starcraft by many hours.

Starcraft is one of my favorite games ever. There are much newer RTS games out there, but none of them seem to be as much fun as Starcraft. If you like RTS games at all, then I would recommend buying Starcraft.