On Linux, I got a missing library error for SDL 1.2. I downloaded and installed SDL 1.2 into the same folder as the game, but it still couldn't find it.
The beta is fun, but the full game is completely worth it. You'll not miss the beta after playing the real thing. v1.0 (version 19, I think) just got rolled out and it's a muuuuch better game than the beta.