When we think of real-time strategy games, many of us think of "StarCraft II," an expertly crafted intergalactic war simulator which still sells well today despite being half a decade old on initial release. Of course, on the Hollywood side, there is the reminder of where it all started in the "WarCraft" movie, based on Blizzard's original foray into the genre. "World of WarCraft" still boasts an incredible amount of gamers, with expansions and patches being released to this day.

Eventually, many of us traded the often repeated "zug zug" for the futuristic battle of the races as PCs became more powerful and technology nearly exploded. We had to upgrade to "StarCraft II" just to keep up with our online clash partners and continue to rule Battle.net.

Don't worry if you're still running Windows 7

Just because the original "StarCraft" has been remastered, it doesn't mean that your old Windows 7 laptop won't be compatible with the original version now being given away free. The official website clearly states that the game will reduce issues between the older OS, and Windows 8.1 and 10.

You might not get the same impressive graphics from the "remastered" overhaul, but it should be a general improvement. Like most games, the remaster may take your hardware capabilities into consideration.

Not much has changed in the free version, as the classic menu is still there and single-player AI matches are still front and center alongside the multiplayer options. It wasn't until "StarCraft II" and its expansions that it seemed Blizzard nearly hid the single-player practice options and practically forced everyone to compete online.

The install base is around 20.2 Gb for the free version, so it won't take up a lot of space on your hard drive. These days it's especially important to keep tabs on your hard drive usage because if there is no space, the game will not install.

Of course, if you have the means, a hard drive upgrade probably isn't going to be a problem.

The visual upgrade may be a bit jarring for some

Classic "StarCraft" players are probably used to the low-resolution models by now, so the jump to a possible 4k update could make things look a little strange. Of course, if your screen can't handle the resolution, the game will likely take that into consideration and offer a downgraded version. If you really want to experience the full upgrade, you will probably need a newer PC to handle 4K resolution.

Is it worth it to you to settle for an outdated look in order to play the game for free?