On Thursday October 22, gamers will have the chance to download a playable demo of Activision and Raven Software's Heretic II from GameSpot. The download will be available at 6:00 pm PDT. By electronically registering the demo, gamers will be automatically entered into a contest to win one of 15 prizes. Prizes include Diamond Monster 3D II video accelerators, the brand-new Diamond Monster Sound MX300, or Mad Catz XL Joysticks. There will be three winners per week chosen randomly for the five weeks after the demo launch date.

　　The demo (which should weigh in at around 50MB or so) will feature two single-player levels and two multiplayer levels. Based on the Quake II engine, Heretic II will run in high-end 3D if you have a Voodoo-based or comparable card.

　　The game is getting close to release. On Tuesday, we asked Raven Software's Dan Freed when he expects the game to go gold. "It will be going gold in about three weeks." We asked if the staff was filling up on loads of caffeine or just toughing it out. Freed said that building the game hasn't been all that hectic, since development has gone pretty much according to plan.

　　On the evening of the 22nd, some of the Heretic II development staff will be on hand to kick your butts in the new game. Dan Freed said that staffers will be known by their player names (or you'll notice them as the LPB players that keep slaughtering you every time you get back in the game).

　　When else have you had the chance to download a demo and attempt to shoot the development team in the same evening?

　　In the meantime, to whet your appetite, take a look at the latest AVI showcasing the game.