There's a Lords of EverQuest Demo on GameSpot offering a sampling of SOE's upcoming EQ RTS game. Here's the word on the one-map demo: "The 372MB demo lets players try out the evil Shadowrealm faction, one of three sides in the game, in multiplayer battles via the new SOEGames.net matchmaking service." The demo has been mirrored on 3D Gamers, Computer Games Online, FileShack (registration required), Happy Puppy (registration required) and Worthplaying. This is the first of three planned demo releases for the game, here's Sony's explanation of the plan:

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, today announced that it will soon be releasing three separate playable demos for its forthcoming real-time strategy (RTS) game, Lords of EverQuest(TM). Each demo allows the player to sample the game's tutorial missions and play one of three factions via online multiplayer. Lords of EverQuest is expected to ship to U.S. and Canadian retail stores this Fall.

"Our aggressive demo program should give players a taste of the exciting gameplay Lords of EverQuest has to offer," said Michael Lustenberger, director of product marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "GameSpot, NVIDIA and Computer Games Magazine give us the opportunity to reach a broad base of gamers across their respective outlets."

The first demo for the Shadow Realm faction will be available exclusively via download from GameSpot.com (http://www.gamespot.com) beginning on September 19. The second demo, featuring the Elddar Alliance, will be available initially via download from NVIDIA's NZone website (http://www.nvidia.com/nzone) on September 29, and at select retail partners including GameStop and Electronics Boutique beginning October 6. The final demo, for the game's still-unannounced third faction will be available exclusively on the demo disc off the November 2003 issue of Computer Games Magazine. As an added incentive for players to collect all three Lords of EverQuest demos, having all three demos installed unlocks a special bonus multiplayer map.