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SLEEP BECOMES OPTIONAL "If I can just make it to the Arcane Sanctuary, I'll call it a night." How many times did I say this, only to see - out of the corner of my eye - the sun come up? Both Diablo I & II are insanely addictive, so keep that in mind when buying this as a gift for loved ones. While the Diablo II expansion included in this set [Lord of Destruction, or LoD] keeps the game fresh, Diablo I is essentially outdated. Diablo I was an amazing game during the pentium era in which it was released, but times have changed, and ultimately there is no reason to spend much time playing Diablo I when you have the sequel and it's expansion in your hands. (There is an expansion available for Diablo I, called HellFire - but again - why not just play the far superior LoD?) It should be mentioned that Diablo II is far outshined by LoD, but you need the Diablo II program on your computer in order to load up LoD, so that's why this package isn't completely redundant. The strategy guide included in this set is for Diablo II; it is somewhat useful for beginners, but advanced players would rather have the LoD strategy guide [not included in this set]. I recommend that players download the latest patch from Blizzard, to get the most out of the game. While Diablo II & LoD are linear in their game play (you follow the same path every time to get to the end of the game), it is nonetheless impressive how character development can go in so many directions. Seven character classes are offered, and each class has 3 different "skill trees" to progress in. Focusing on certain skills within a tree can itself change the way in which you relate to the game; characters can become so specialized that names have been attributed to them (lexicons can be found on the Net). For example, if you choose to play a character of the new Druid class, he can be differentiated into a Shifter, Summoner, Elementist, Botanist, Windbreaker, Bowling Druid, etc. [lingo used by Diablo addicts, these aren't terms that the game itself uses]. It could be said that choosing different paths renews the playability of the game, as you are forced to figure out new strategies to survive. Once you beat the game in "Normal" mode (i.e., finish all 5 "Acts"), your character may venture into "Nightmare" mode, which adds new dimensions and incentives to continue investing time in your hero (it gets worse: after Nightmare mode there is Hell mode, a level of difficulty that literally makes your character's life a living hell - sounds like fun, no?) I've been playing this game since its release, have at least one character from each class, and can hardly believe how much I still have to learn. Lately I've discovered several websites devoted to the game, and features of the game that previously made little sense now are revealed as worthwhile to me. The soundtrack for Diablo II & LoD is so good that I've downloaded [for free] all of the music from Blizzard's awesome website. If you are getting the impression that this game can create a black hole in your weekly schedule, then I think I have gotten my point across. Be warned, this is not kid's stuff...I once watched a girlfriend's 10-year-old son break into tears as he realized he could not defeat Baal, the endgame foe. I counseled him on spending his skill points more sagaciously, but it didn't matter: he found some hacked items on the Web and consequently sailed unimpeded thru the game. I like how Blizzard keeps patching the game, though -- countering the hacks, with each patch moving the original version of Diablo II closer to perfection. Sure, it's a ridiculous game in many ways, but when you reach the Nightmare and Hell difficulty modes what you come to care about is survival, not how much sense it all makes...