#!/usr/bin/perl

# http://perlmonks.org/?node_id=1215064

use strict;
use warnings;
use Data::Dumper;

my $string='C*ID1*Mac*C release for EA\'s D*ID1*Spore1 game*D; D*ID1*S
+pore 1*D is better than D*ID2*Spore 2 game*D.';

my @fields;
push @fields, $& while $string =~ /\b([A-Z])\*.*?\*\1\b/g;

print Dumper \@fields;
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Outputs:

$VAR1 = [
          'C*ID1*Mac*C',
          'D*ID1*Spore1 game*D',
          'D*ID1*Spore 1*D',
          'D*ID2*Spore 2 game*D'
        ];
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You beat me to it!

use strict;
use warnings;
use 5.10.0;

my $string="C*ID1*Mac*C release for EA's D*ID1*Spore1 game*D; D*ID1*Sp
+ore 1*D is better than D*ID2*Spore 2 game*D.";

my @fields;

while ($string =~ /([A-Z])\*   # A single capital letter followed by s
+tar
                   ID\d+\*     # String 'ID' followed by a number and 
+a star
                   .*?         # Anything
                   \*\1        # A star followed by the original singl
+e capital letter
                   /gx) {
    push @fields, $&;
}
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Jim

Usually it's easier to match what you want to keep instead of splitting on the stuff you don't want:

#!perl -w
use strict;
use Data::Dumper;

my $string=q{C*ID1*Mac*C release for EA's D*ID1*Spore1 game*D; D*ID1*S
+pore 1*D is better than D*ID2*Spore 2 game*D.};

my @sections;
while( $string =~ m!(([CD])\*(.*?)\*\2)!g) {
    push @sections, $1;
};

print Dumper \@sections;

__END__


$VAR1 = [
          'C*ID1*Mac*C',
          'D*ID1*Spore1 game*D',
          'D*ID1*Spore 1*D',
          'D*ID2*Spore 2 game*D'
        ];
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The regular expression looks for a C or D followed by a * and then slowly goes forward until it finds a * followed by whatever it matched at the start.

General rule of thumb:

If you know what you don't want, use split.

If you know what you want, use regex.