The 'Diablo 3' Starter Edition offers a free taste of Hell

How to kill Diablo 3's first big boss for free.

Curious about Diablo 3? Blizzard is offering the first hit of its addictive, demon-killing clickfest for free as the Diablo 3 Starter Edition.

Essentially an introductory demo for the action RPG, the Diablo 3 Starter Edition lets new players try a portion of the highly anticipated sequel's first act without dropping any cash.

Not just anyone can play the Diablo 3 demo, however, at least at the game's launch. For the first 30 days after Diablo 3's launch date – that's May 15 for PC and Mac – players will need a guest pass to try the Starter Edition. Guest passes will be included with the full version of Diablo 3, so you'll need to pester a friend or online acquaintance for a key if you're interested. After that 30 day window, anyone can hop onto Blizzard's Battle.net service and download the demo.

The Starter Edition will let players sample a slice of Act I, right up until the point where they slay the Skeleton King – just like the Diablo 3 beta version. They can only play online with other Starter Edition players, meaning no intermingling between paid players and freeloaders, and their characters max out at Level 13.

Diablo 3's Starter Edition also restricts access to the game's Real Money Auction House, where players can exchange in-game goods for real world cash.

Blizzard will release Diablo 3 for Mac and PC worldwide on May 15.