Blizzard Entertainment creatives did a wonderful thing with StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty: they made it awesome. The demo that's been around since last year allows you to play through the game's first three missions, plus two skirmish maps. Blizzard is shaking things up though, replacing that demo with the newly released Starter Edition.

The reformulated demo, detailed at Battle.net, looks like it offers a better taste of the full game experience. Players can tackle the first four campaign missions and the first two Challenges. Custom games can also be played, using the Terran race in the single-player vs. AI on four different maps (a selection that may rotate over time).

What's more, any progress you make in the game, including unlocked Achievements, automatically carry over if you upgrade to the full version. That's because the data is saved to your Battle.net account, which is necessary for those who wish to download and play the Starter Edition. The Blizzard announcement includes a FAQ that offers more specifics on how this new StarCraft II sampler works.

Source: Battle.net