StarCraft does fall into the RTS genre; resource gathering, unit creation, base building, ect. But it isn't as demanding for a strategic genius as games like Age of Empires or Rise of Nations. Nonetheless, it's an explosive game that will keep you busy for a long time. In a way, StarCraft is a great change of pace for fans of more complex RTS games (like me). Playing Rise of Nations all the time can start to get overwhelming because of the constant mass and micro management needed. In StarCraft, you don't have to deal with a ton of diplomacy issues or anything like that. A typical game has things set up kind of like an RTS death match. All of the resources you need are sitting right next to your base. Collect them, build defenses, then build an army. You can choose from three different races. The Terran, a human army of colonists, Zerg, a race of bugs, mutants, and everything creepy and crawley, and the Protos, a super intelligent race with psionic powers. Each race (Terran, Zerg, Protos) have their one advantages and disadvantages. The Terran are well balanced and are best for beginners. They have good infantry and a variety of defenses. One good advantage is that important Terran Buildings (command centers, barracks, ect.) can lift off the ground and fly to a new area for a quick escape. The Zerg rely on the masses. Their units are not as powerful but they are also less expensive and some are created in groups. One of their disadvantages is that they cannot build (mutate) on normal ground; only on a thick slime that covers the ground near their buildings. The Protos have very powerful units, but they are more expensive and take longer to build. A huge advantage for the Protos is that they don't have to sit at a construction site and waste time building it up. All you have to do is get one of your little probes to warp the building in. The second the probe reaches the building site, they actavate a portal and the building basically starts to build itself, allowing the probe to tend to other matters. As a side effect, they can't repair damaged buildings. The sounds are nothing to make a whole extra section about (zap, boom, kerpow, "gimme somethin' to shoot.") but they're what you would expect from a game like this. The music also fits the mood perfectly. The graphics are about the same as Age of Empires II with a slightly more animated look making everything look and run smooth. It's hard to tell how good the AI is because of the simple tactics they use; launch waves of troops at your enemies and destroy them all. The AI also loves to rush. Expect to be attacked about five minutes into the game. Along those lines, the computer does very well. The environments are very interesting and original, covered with black dirt, craters, strange animals and purple trees. StarCraft also has a great (and free) online multiplayer with an endless number of people to play with.