Now that Gears of War 3 has been out for a while and Christmas is behind us, Epic's shooter has seen off the rush of people who'll buy it sight unseen. Now it's time to court those strange and unusual people who prefer to "play" video games before coughing up cash, and so publisher Microsoft has released a demo.

The demo offers "Shipwreck," the opening chapter of the second act in Gears 3's campaign. No doubt, Marcus and the funky bunch will face an obstacle which they shall then overcome, perhaps by shooting faces until they are no longer recognisable as faces.

Xbox Live Gold members can download the demo now, if you happen to live in certain corners of the world. The USA certainly has the demo, but Canada and Great Britain are among those excluded. Sorry, rest of the world, we're evidently not properly prepared for this taste of Gears of War.