Empire at War demo blasting onto GameSpot

In space, no one can hear you scream--but that won't stop Star Wars fans from whooping and hollering next week. On Wednesday, January 18 at 9 a.m. PST, GameSpot will premiere the single-player demo of Star Wars: Empire at War for the PC. The full version will hit retail stores on February 16.

The demo will feature five tutorials that lay down the game mechanics for Empire at War, as well as one galactic conquest mode map to put what gamers have learned to test. A sample of recognizable units will be included in the demo, with the full roster being available next month in the retail version.

In the full version, gamers will be able to play on the side of the Rebellion or Empire, commanding troops in order to topple Darth Vader's evil regime or rule the universe with an iron fist. In addition to stormtroopers, Star Destroyers, and X-Wings, players will deploy some of the films' popular heroes and villains, such as Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo.

Star Wars: Empire at War is being developed by Petroglyph and will be published by LucasArts. More information on the demo is available on GameSpot's Empire at War demo page. For more details on the full game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.