The Zerg are the slimy monster race. All their technology is organic, and their grotesque buildings can only be grown from sacrificed worker Drones on a large bed of oozing slime called The Creep . All Zerg units are grown from an endless supply of larvae, and all Zerg units and structures will slowly heal over time. They rate as fairly weak: their units lack the sort of power housing of the Protoss or the Terran's Siege Tank, and rely on speed and numbers to prevail. They can also burrow, so many of the ground based Zerg units can effectively cloak themselves from the enemy by hiding underground. While you'll lose whole armies of Zerg in action, there's nothing quite like a swarm of Zerglings and Hydralisks ripping through an enemy base...

The Terrans areall the purpose, straight forward sort of race. They sort of rank at the medium power level. You can play them and they immediately make sense: basic infantry with Marines, a Siege Tank, the Wraith plane, the Factory, etc.. Beginners may find the other races are little weird and unfamiliar to begin with. (But not for long!) The Terran's worker, the SCV, runs about collecting resources, building and repairs. Terrans can build anywhere, and are nomadic in the game's story lines. Terran buildings can take off and fly to another part of the map. They're the most versatile and adaptable to any given situation, and probably the best at defending

The Protoss are the most powerful characters on the field, restricted only by the high cost of their units and the time it takes for them to get up to full strength. They are psionic, which means they have force fields on top of their hefty hit points, and many formidable spells that can fool and confuse the enemy, or just subject them to destruction on a massive scale. They can only build near crystal pylons, and "warp in" their units and structures from their homeworld, Auir. This means that a single Protoss worker, the Probe can warp in several buildings at once. Generally you find a lot of beginners playing Protoss.