After 12 long years, Starcraft fans will finally be able to get their hands on its sequel. The first game has had an immeasurable influence on gamers and a country at large. In case you're wondering what all the fuss is about, read on.

What is Starcraft?

Starcraft is a real-time-strategy game, developed by Blizzard (who also developed Diablo and Warcraft), with resource management and base-building being the main focus. Players select one of three races to play with; the Terran, Zerg and Protoss. Each race stands out, with the Protoss having access to high-tech equipment, the Zerg relying on simple units and sheer numbers, and the Terran having a mix of both.

The game has received plenty of critical acclaim, with the scaling difficulty and storyline being two stand-out features. But it's the multiplayer that propelled the game into the stratosphere.

A hot debut

Starcraft was launched to a great reception in 1998, with the PC version hitting first, followed by the MAC version in 1999. But console gamers weren't left out of the mix, with an N64 version being released in 2000.

The first game has sold over 11 million units as of 2009, making it the fourth-best-selling PC game of all time. Subsequent expansions, with Brood War in particular, have been just as well received.

The game was also critically-acclaimed, with a Metacritic average of 88 percent and a GameRankings average of 93 percent. The title frequently appears on lists of greatest games ever made, with it appearing on our list as well.

A national past-time

Getting paid for gaming was a pipedream for many hardcore gamers back in the mid-90s, that is, until Starcraft came about. The game's popularity exploded in South Korea, with star players becoming celebrities and commanding a huge following.

Live TV broadcasts of matches and sponsorship deals are commonplace, with top gamers earning upwards of $200 000 a year. "There are live matches in a specially built studio/stadium, which sometimes draw as many as 100 000 people," according to the popular blog Ask A Korean.

Taking the good with the bad...

While the game has stimulated the South Korean economy and made superstars out of plenty of gamers, it's also spawned the curse of online gaming addiction.

With a broadband penetration rate of 95 percent, it's a bigger problem than you think, with an estimated ten percent of web users addicted.

Reports of Koreans dying due to exhaustion are not an uncommon occurrence, becoming a dark joke of sorts amongst gamers. One player collapsed and died in 2005 after playing for 50 hours, only pausing for a toilet break and brief naps.

Another Korean died in 2002 after 86 hours of gaming, collapsing at the counter before being found dead in the toilet.

A major cheating scandal has even found its way into Starcraft this year, a dubious first for online gaming. Up to 16 players were intentionally losing matches and involved in illegal betting, with retired gamers, a former coach, a former match announcer and an online gaming reporter being implicated as well.

What Starcraft 2 holds...

Blizzard might not be the only big player in the online gaming arena anymore, but South Korea and the world have caught Starcraft 2 fever nonetheless. The game has already shot to the top of sales charts in the USA, UK, South Korea and South Africa, with analysts expecting 7 million copies to be snapped up by year's end.

In fact, Starcraft 2 is already making a landmark move in South Korea, with no physical copies being distributed. Instead, gamers have the choice of a subscription model or an outright download, among other options. In another historic move, Korean Airlines will also be flying two Starcraft-emblazoned 747 Jumbo jets on domestic routes.

There are very few games that can rival Starcraft's influence, and with Starcraft 2 now released after 12 long years, a new generation of gamers can experience what the fuss is all about.