GOG.com re-releases Warcraft, Warcraft II

Blizzard Entertainment and GOG.com, formerly known as Good Old Games, have made good on their promise to continue mining the former's back catalogue for classic games, announcing the availability of real-time strategy titles Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and its sequel.

Blizzard's partnership with GOG.com, the digital distribution division of CD Projekt, was announced earlier this month alongside the relaunch of action role-playing game (ARPG) Diablo. Originally published in 1996 and a breakout success for the company, Blizzard's Diablo has been long out of print - a key reason for the company's partnership with GOG.com, which in its former guise of Good Old Games specialised in re-releasing classic titles with tweaks and compatibility enhancements.

At the time, the companies pledged to follow Diablo's launch with additional games from Blizzard's back catalogue. Now, they've made good on that promise: Real-time strategy (RTS) titles Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and its sequel Warcraft II with both expansions are now available on GOG.com.

'In anticipation of the upcoming 25th anniversary of Warcraft, we brought you the real-time strategy classics that started it all Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II Battle.net Edition, including both the original Tides of Darkness and the Beyond the Dark Portal expansion,' GOG's launch announcement explains. 'Starting today, players can once again explore these universe-defining games as they become available digitally and DRM-free for the first time ever!

'The first part of the legendary series plays and feels just like the original from 1994, it's just updated to run flawlessly on modern operating systems. Warcraft II Battle.net Edition, similarly to the release of first Diablo on GOG.com, comes in two versions, which players will choose from the launcher. The classic one allows for the authentic experience and a fully functional multiplayer with Blizzard's Battle.net online gaming service. The updated version comes with a number of fixes to provide full compatibility with modern machines as well as hi-resolution support and upscaling.'

The games are available now, priced at $14.99 as a bundle or $5.99 for the original and $9.99 for the sequel. More information is available from the official website.