My first online RTS, and still one of the best.

I know many people played Warcraft online using a service called "Kali" before Warcraft 2 Battle.net Edition came out. I unfortunately missed that because I didn't have a computer until about 6 years ago, so i cannot compare the two networks. I can tell you what I think about this magnificient game, however.

Blizzards "battle.net" came into existence with Blizzards first hack and slash RPG (some might argue, the best hack and slash RPG) Diablo. Using battle.net gamers could play online for free, with no limits.

Blizzard later decided to repackage Warcraft 2 for the Battle.net Edition. In this edition you have the original Warcraft 2 game and all of its expansions, plus free online gaming support through Battle.net. Despite this games age, you can still find players on battle.net. I was on earlier today and there were close to 1000 people on.

Graphics:
This game is old, and it shows through the graphics. They really havn't aged to well. But at the same time, they look nice and give the game a "classic" feel. If they ever updated the graphics for this game, it would look rediculous, and wouldn't retain the same feel. The graphics get a perfect score in my book.

Sounds:
The same feeling about the graphics applies to the sounds. The sounds sound old. People into modern PC games and then play this might find this horrible and give up on the entire game, but if you have played the original Warcraft 2 game or play Warcraft 2 Battle.net Edition long enough, the sounds start to grow on you. The sounds, like the graphics, give the game its "classic" feel.

Gameplay:
This game plays like all other Real-Time Strategy games. In fact, if you havn't ever played a Real-Time Strategy game before I reccomend this one, its very basic and easy to get into on the surface but once you get into it it is complex and there is always something to try differently to improve your odds of winning.

You click on a unit or building to select it and then you are presented on the left hand side of the screen with a menu with options such as "move" or "attack" (for units) or "train" or "upgrade" (for buildings. When I first played this game it didn't take me long to figure out at all, I was having fun right away.

In the single player campaigns you must win by fullfilling certain mission objectives. Such as training a certain number of units, rescueing your friends, or destroying and enemy base. There are 4 campaigns to choose from, the original Human and Orc campaigns from the original Warcraft 2, as well as the two newer Human and Orc campaigns that were made for the Warcraft 2 expansion.

Battle.net:
The main draw for this game is its free online play. And let me tell you it does it very well. Many games offer online play, but i've never felt so connected to the gaming community as I have with battle.net. Even in Blizzards newest game, World of Warcraft (which takes place on different servers owned by Blizzard, not battle.net) I dont feel as connected. Its really hard to describe the feeling, but im convinced you will love battle.net and play and enjoy every one of the games playable on battle.net if you give it a chance. I always hear people complaining about how awful battle.net is, but when I ask them to name another free online gaming service that is better or even equal to the quality of battle.net, they suddenly dont have a response and drop their argument.

Other Features:
This game also comes with a "map editor" which allows you to create your own battlegrounds for single or online play. This really increases the replay value, and offers a lot of room for creativity, but there could be more. I have seen some really interesting concepts in the many hours I have spent on battle.net, some people have even managed to make really nice RPG's. Blizzards newer games (Starcraft and Warcraft 3 offer more complex map editors with almost infinite options, if you are more into the customization aspect).