"Better then two and one, but not perfect"

I recently purchased the Warcraft III collectors edition, an excellent package by the way, including a 200 page book on the artwork, the soundtrack, and some pictures, all in a heavy black case.
Warcraft III is visually better then all of the others, and is more of an RPG. Warcraft III can be summed up as a better looking Warcraft II that has some characters earning experience points.

Graphics: 10/10
Beautiful. Absolutley beautiful. Blizzard has made even cutting down trees look as beautiful as an early morning sunrise. It is easy to forget that it is just a game, and you'll find yourself thinking your really sliding your sword into an Orc's ribcage. You won't get bored building your base, exploring the world, or leading an army against the Undead.Also...wait for it....wait for it....Beautiful cutscenes. Thats right, this game has in game cut scenes, not like in Warcraft II where there were only cut scenes in the end and beginning, and were ugly too. In Warcraft III there are lots of cut scenes and they are beautiful.

Story: 8/10
I'm not completed with the game, but the story is good. For a strategy game. The interaction between the characters sometimes seems over acted. It doesn't seem natural. You'll find yourself, wishing Blizzard had spent more then $2 on voice actors, or at least TRIED to write a good script. However, the gameplay makes up for the story.

Controll: 10/10
Just like Warcraft II. Not much to say here, If you liked the controls in Warcraft II you'll like these. Standard strategy controls.

Overall: 9/10
This game is fun to play. Period. If you like strategy games, you'll like this game. No. You'll love this game. There are 4 playable races, each different from the other, and just as fun as the one before. Also, you know have heroes. Heroes, are able to use magic, and gain exp. points to gain levels. Heroes are your most powerful individuals, and can even carry items. If a heroe dies, you can revive your heros at certain buildings. Basically, its a better version of Warcraft II.
On the negative side though, there are no ships. I love using the battleships in Warcraft II, especially when I use the map editor. Well, there are ships, they are just not playable.

***The Map Editor*** 9/10
The map editor is a better and more complicated version of Warcraft II's map editor.Its a great editor, but sometimes its more complicated then it needs to be.

Buy or skip? Buy. If you like strategy games, you should love this game.

Replay value: 8/10
You may not want to play some of the harder stages over and over, but you can always make your own maps with the editor, download new maps, use codes, or replay your favorite stages.

Warning
If your computer does not have a fast processor and a great video card, I wouldn't buy this game. It will be ugly and slow.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/02, Updated 10/17/02