Starcraft/Broodwar Expansion Pack (PC DVD)

The biggest, boldest collection of the world's Best-Selling PC game.

Enter the universe of Starcraft and experience the future of strategic combat. This exclusive set includes the full version of Blizzard's blockbuster hit Starcraft and the critically acclaimed Starcraft expansion set: Brood War.
It is a time of crisis. Three of the most powerful forces in the universe are headed on a collision course for galactic domination. Whether you command the nomadic Terran, mysterious Protoss, or the voracious Zerg, you must devise unique strategies to survive the acid-drenched, fire-scorched battles of the future.

• Build new units - construct Lurkers, Medics, Valkyries, Corsairs, Dark Archons and more.
• Explore new worlds - storm frozen wastes, scour arid deserts and navigate the twilights worlds of the Dark Templar.
• Command new missions - conquer 26 all-new scenarios set within three epic campaigns.

Not only does game maker Blizzard juggle the races' playability and match it with superb art and sound effects, it also weaves together an engrossing three-act plot. Early on, as a Terran magistrate, you spend a breathtaking 30 minutes defending against a Zerg onslaught. As the story unfolds around you, you'll experience the Zerg's hive mentality and decipher the mysterious Protoss by the game's dramatic conclusion.

Missions vary in scope and are effectively framed with dialogue, chapter screens and in-mission exposition. Multiplayer games are also very well represented by Blizzard's own free Battle.net service. If you'd rather play over a local area network, StarCraft will generously "spawn" up to seven copies so your friends can join in.

In keeping with StarCraft's groundbreaking design, Brood War presents you with three sides of a galactic conflict. Scheming humans, insidious Zerg and proud Protoss collide again, with stunning new cinematics setting the stage. Old friends and foes and ominous new arrivals give the story a breakneck pace, while a handful of additions to each race's arsenal makes for tense battles. Brood War also features stellar new environments and ambient art, as well as more than 100 additional multiplayer maps.

Some missions require a bit of finesse, breaking the resource-gathering routine while making good use of the new units. Humans now have Valkyrie missile frigates as well as medics who automatically try to heal your grunts. New for the Zerg air force is the acid-spewing Devourer; the new Lurker unit provides heavy-duty (under)ground support. Along with the Corsair fighter, the Protoss re-enter the fray with Dark Templar, which can merge to form the devastating Dark Archon. Unfortunately, units old and new still suffer from weak artificial intelligence in path finding. Real-time strategy games don't get any more epic or any more satisfying. --Jack Gardiner