Company of Heroes demo up

Gamers itching to get into the thick of battle can now do so without fear of losing their lives or hard-earned cash. A demo for Company of Heroes, a PC real-time strategy game set during World War II, is now available for download from GameSpot.

The trial highlights the single-player portion of the game and is a hearty 1.8GB in size. Players can get their feet wet in the game's tutorial before earning their stripes in two single-player missions. Both the Axis and Allies are playable in skirmish mode.

Using the proprietary Essence Engine, Company of Heroes boasts real-time physics, dynamic range lighting, and advanced artificial intelligence. The story follows a group of American GIs as they take on the Nazi War Machine. Players will also be able to go head-to-head with up to seven other gamers in the multiplayer mode.

Company of Heroes was developed by RTS vet Relic Entertainment (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War) and is being published by THQ. The full retail version will be released on September 14 for $49.99. For more information on the game, read GameSpot's previous coverage.