One of the best real-time strategy games ever and definitely the most dynamic and balanced, Starcraft is already a famous brand that is known and appreciated worldwide. It's been quite a while since Blizzard released the Brood War expansion and fans from all over the world were waiting ever since for the next addition to the franchise.

Although a decade has passed since the release of the first title and the Brood War expansion, Starcraft 2's story takes place just 4 years after the bloody events that left Kerrigan as the undisputed leader of the Zerg. Creating a cohesive plot, linked in every aspect with the story so far is a huge challenge for Blizzard, but they've always performed way above our expectations so I can't find any reason not to give them full credit.

So far very little information transpired about the single player and the campaign set is in fact the latest piece of the puzzle that is quickly appearing before our eyes, as more and more details are revealed. What we know is that key figures such as Jim Raynor, Kerrigan or Zeratul are present in Starcraft 2 as well as familiar locations such as the infamous planet Char, home of the Zerg and their defunct Overmind.

By now it's no surprise that Starcraft 2 will feature the same three races as the previous title, and I am confident that nobody would complain about preserving this structure. The differences between these species are so numerous and the way each race is meant to be played provides enough variety to keep the gamer wired for a long, long time. Balance is everything in Starcraft and for Blizzard it is virtually a never-ending quest to reach the perfect harmony between the three races by giving equal chances to achieve victory.

The best thing about Starcraft is perhaps the fact that no matter how long you play and how skilled you are there is no way to achieve perfection or even come anywhere close. With just a couple of units available, this game has an incredible depth that insured its longevity and kept making matches more and more competitive. In fact it is only fair to say that there are two distinct games incorporated in the same package, one for casual players and the other for the most dedicated fans who take the entire gaming experience to a different level.

Newcomers will be delighted with the brand new look of the latest addition, an easy to pick up gameplay and a replay system that allows beginners to learn a huge amount of useful information in a very short time. While cool graphics and amazing sound effects will charm even the hardcore players, for this elitist group balance and a very competitive gameplay is what really matters. Blizzard is fully aware of this situation and the game is under permanent testing by progamers who can easily discover overpowered units or obvious flaws that might cripple the entire gameplay.

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With the addition of some new units with distinct skills and abilities it is utopic to think that the final product will be perfectly balanced from the beginning, no matter how many tests are in progress, but any minor imperfection can be fixed in the upcoming patches. Speaking of units, Starcraft 2 presents us with some exciting troops that will bring extra flavor to the large scale battles, while iconic units from the previous titles will return unchanged or upgraded with new abilities.

Some of the most impressive units introduced in Starcraft 2 are protoss troops who are now versatile fighting machines capable of launching combined operations that can devastate the opponent's base. Zealots remain the first line of assault but their "charge" ability makes them a deadly weapon against siege units, while the Immortals' hardened energy shield allows them to shrug off the most powerful weapon strikes. Stalkers are another original concept introduced in Starcraft 2, and their ability to teleport across short distances makes them the perfect weapon to annihilate retreating foes.

The Colossus is perhaps the most imposing new unit, its fire power and the ability to step up and down cliffs and other steep elevations giving him the upper hand against incoming enemies. Traditionally dominant in aerial warfare the protoss can rely on two powerful additions, the Phoenix and the Warp Rays that can either inflict damage on a large area around them or focus fire on stronger units and structures to rapidly annihilate the foes. The Mothership is without a doubt the deadliest unit introduced in Starcraft 2, her sheer damage and stunning abilities make it the ultimate weapon in the Protoss arsenal. Nonetheless a player can only produce one unit of this kind and by spending a huge amount of resources, while the huge danger it poses makes it a priority one target.

Formidable foes when holding a strong defensive position, Terrans are always vulnerable on the move and they used to have very little options to launch a successful sneak-attack. In Starcraft 2 we'll benefit from the addition of a very flexible infantry unit, the Reapers who are highly mobile and can easily infiltrate the opponent's base. While the jetpacks allow them to jump across rivers, crevasses, and other obstacles they have low armor and are very vulnerable to defensive structures. Marines remain the cornerstone of the Terran army and with a good control and a few medics to heal them these units are very useful in the early stages of a match.

Banshee squadrons are deadly against ground troops and with no air-air weapons they rely heavily on the cloaking device to escape when encountering an enemy fleet. The Viking is a very versatile unit that can shift from an assault walker to an air-superiority fighter and storm enemy positions, always searching for a weak spot to deploy their deadly arsenal. Speaking of big and powerful weapons we can't afford not to mention the Thor, a formidable war machine armed with two giant particle beams and a dorsal artillery batter. The most interesting fact about this unit is that it can be build from the ground near an enemy base and lay siege to the unprepared enemy.

Zergs are still pretty much shrouded in mystery and we only know that most units suffered "mutations" so we'll have the chance to see traditional units upgraded with new skills that allows them to inflict more damage of to perform special tasks. Queens will play a more important role than in the original title, Hidralisks and Mutalisks have evolved into lethal counter-units against light infantry, while the Zerglings can now mutate into a Baneling. These units are virtually living bombs, fitted with sacks filled with liquid, and a certain chemical reaction performed close to enemy structures and troops leads to a devastating explosion.

Starcraft 2 looks so good at the moment that most people would argue that its launch date shouldn't be postponed any longer, still Blizzard feels that it needs more polish. Hardcore fans may be tempted to blame the company for this delay, but they must remember that Blizzard puts quality first in each and every game released and on the long run this is a winning strategy.