Starcraft appears, at first glance, to be very much like many of the other Command and Conquer clones on the market. In reality, however, Starcraft is a law unto itself. Instead of the two sides you expect in games of this genre, there are three, with distinct personalities and abilities.
What is also unusual, at least in my experience, is that there are two elements to gather, minerals and gas, the former finite the latter not. This means that securing extra mineral resources is often vital to securing victory. If you're going to have multiple production facilities, you'll need the resources to keep them churning out units.
The other aspect of the game which sets it apart is the quality of the cut scenes and the storyline. Let me put it like this - I had dreams about this game. It really can suck you in that much, so be warned! I've played many games where I haven't been all that bothered about completing them. Starcraft succeeds in making you want to finish it.
The final trump card is BattleNet. This is the multi-player side of the game and is an integral part of its setup. If you have an ISP, you can join BattleNet and you won't need a credit card to do it.
Although it was a little shaky in its infancy, it's now pretty solid and allows for international battles on the in-built maps as well as custom maps designed with the map and campaign editor. You can also throw in computer opponents if you're short of human players, a good way to learn multi-player tactics.
When all is said and done, Starcraft isn't a new concept. It's been done before. However, I think it can lay claim to being one of the most accessible games of its type and it's almost more of a package than just a simple game. At the time of writing it's discounted in HMV in the UK. With the Brood Wars expansion due out soon there's never been a better time to get into the Starcraft experience.
In general terms, you should try and keep a mobile defence force rather than relying too much on static defence buildings, especially in multi-player games. Every defensive structure can be outranged one way or another. This is an important thing to realise in Starcraft - no matter how impressive your force, the enemy does have a way of taking you down so it's vital that your forces are sufficiently varied to cope with most contingencies. Of course, many multi-player games don't last that long - rushing is common and in that situation it's a case of whoever builds the most units in the time and has the best strategy, wins ...
Expansion should be attempted if possible, but if you can't defend the new base with troops it may not be worth your while. There is something to be said, however, for whittling down the resources available to the enemy. Again, in multi-player games where the sides are evenly matched resources will be a major issue because it'll just be a war of attrition. This is most common with computer opponents who tend to dig in very effectively but who can be outlasted if you have more control of resources than they do.
Terrans also have the edge when it comes to cloaking units on the ground and in the air. This can spell disaster for another side's troops if they haven't got mobile detectors. Unfortunately the Zerg practically have to have mobile detectors, the Overlords, because they double up as their supply depots.
In terms of heavy hitters, the Terrans have the ever-popular siege tank and the nuke option. The tank can transform into a fixed artillery piece with a serious kick, while a nuke can be launched by a Ghost unit with a laser designator. The words "Nuclear Launch Detected" should immediately trigger a scurry of troop movements as enemies try to spot the red point of the impact spot!
Apart from looking seriously slimy, the Zerg are a force to contend with. Their improved basic unit, the hydralisk, is relatively cheap to produce, moves quite fast and has a ranged attack all of which adds up to bad news for the opposition. For air superiority there are the mutalisks which can be mutated to ground attack guardians which outrange every air defence going and scourges, suicide bombers. If you see a crowd of Guardians coming in you'd better have some mobile air defence, or you're dead.
The 'nice' Zerg weapons are the defilers which have the ability to plague enemy units, and the queens. Although it doesn't destroy them, the plague takes away almost all the hit points of the units it affects leaving them very vulnerable, and as Terran buildings keep on taking damage when in the red it can be very useful. Equally smart are the queens' parasites which allow you to see through the eyes of the unit they're attached to. This can provide invaluable intelligence information and may allow a Terran ghost to nuke an area without the ghost itself being able to see into it.
If you have the resources, the Protoss really are a force to be reckoned with. Their shields are rechargeable, so while the unit itself may be critically injured it can still survive a fight quite adequately. Archons in particular are very heavily shielded but have very few hit points, which on the plus side means that their shield goes, they go, and on the down side means that if you don't finish them they'll be good as new and really annoyed next time round!
Big bang wise you have the scarab spitting reavers on the ground, slow and weak and you have to build the ammo but it is devastating if used well, and the carriers in the air. As with reavers, carriers are defenceless until their fighters are built, but after that a group of carriers can do immense damage at stand off ranges while enemies try and swat the fighters out of the sky. Finally there are the ultimate in psi-powered warriors, the high templars, who in their own right can throw powerful psi storms but who can also merge to form the impressive archons mentioned above. The noble Protoss are truly a force to be reckoned with.
For a more detailed breakdown of the units available and advice on the multi-player side of Starcraft visit: