There's been a bit of fuss over ArmA II - whether or not Australian gamers can get their sweaty mitts on the title, whether it's a decent release, and whether or not there will be a demo for the game.

Tonight, I can answer one of those questions! Yes, there is a demo - and yes, we have it here for you! A whopping 2.8GB download will get you a sample version of Chernarus, complete with Boot Camp to get you started, a Singleplayer example, some Multiplayer experiences and even a brief Mission Editor.

While the quality of the game's still being discussed, and the Australian release date seems to be one of the great unanswered questions, at least you'll be able to get in some Armed Assault, even if it's not the whole thing just yet.

Mark Allen, European Communications Manager for 505 Games chuckles:

“Distilling ArmA II’s gameplay into a trial sized package has been a bit of a challenge because there is just so much in there that we want to show off. In the end we’ve decided to be pretty generous, there are five types of rocket launcher in there for starters!”

In fact, there's more than 25 weapons included, along with more than 20 vehicles and a selection of various soldier and civilian models - and that's just a fraction of what's available in the full game!

Promising "the most realistic warfare gameplay ever", it's great to see that Bohemia Interactive are able to back up their claims. A modified version of ArmA II is actually used to train the US Army for combat situations. Not bad, when the armed forces already have their own game that they designed for those purposes... so you'd better grab the demo and find out what all the fuss is about!

Overview of the demo content:

Boot Camp:
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Boot camp provides you with several scenarios which can help you to better enjoy the ArmA 2 demo.

To play the scenarios, start the game and select SingleplayerBootcamp from the main menu. The following tutorials are available:

• Basic Training - You can learn the basics of the game controls, movement and principles of first aid and infantry combat in this tutorial. If you’re new to the world of military simulations, it is strongly recommended to learn these basics.
• Parachute Jump - In this tutorial, you have a chance to try precision-jumping with a steerable parachute.
• Helicopter - Learn the basics of helicopter flight, transportation of troops and attack chopper tactics.
• Team - Learn the basics of your team’s command and control. This tutorial will teach you how to command your subordinates and manage your team.
• High Command - You are often given command of whole groups in the bigger battles (e.g. Death Valley scenario). This tutorial describes the basics of the high-commander’s job.
• Construction - In a large-scale scenarios (Death Valley in the demo), you can construct defenses, HQ buildings or structures which enable you to enroll certain unit types.

This tutorial will teach you the basics of the construction interfaces.

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Singleplayer:
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Three scenarios and an editable mission template are featured in the demo. Scenarios are accessible from the main menu’s Singleplayer > Scenarios section.

Trial by Fire – A marine assault team is inserted on the Utes island to capture an OPFOR base. To successfully complete this mission, advance together with the rest of your team, follow your orders and avoid being too brave.

Death Valley - Small mission to introduce and also teach you how to use the RTS/FPS blend mode for ArmA 2 - The Warfare mode.
In this large-scale battle, your objectives are to capture all strategic locations or destroy all structures on the enemy base in your area of operation.
It is recommended to play Team, High Command and Construction tutorials before you start playing this mission.

Benchmark - This scenario is an unplayable cinematic benchmark test that will help you determine the best setting for playing ArmA 2 on your computer or to compare your hardware. Average FPS is displayed at the end of this scenario.

Mission Template: Basic - To start this mission template, activate “My missions...”, select “”, “01:Basic”, choose the side you want to play for, and edit the mission conditions.

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Multiplayer:
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It’s possible to play a multiplayer battle or customize some of the available mission templates.

To start the template-based multiplayer, select “<>” and select from the list of available templates. Note that templates are customizable, and you may prepare many variations of existing setups.

Death Valley - Multiplayer version of the scenario. Up to 16 players may take part in this battle.

In “Create game”,
Multiplayer Mission Template: Deathmatch - Free-for-all fight for up to 16 players.
Multiplayer Mission Template: Team Deathmatch - Two teams fight in a small area. Up to 16 players may play in this scenario.
Multiplayer Mission Template: Seize The Area - Cooperative scenario for up to 6 players, whose task is to eliminate all hostile units in a designated area.

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Mission editor:
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Limited version of Mission Editor is present in the demo. Note that it's not possible to either save or load a custom mission in the demo.

Check http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor to learn more about the basic features of the editor.