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Excellent and underrated I just finished playing this game and found it surprisingly good. Actually, it's one of the top 3 computer roleplaying games (RPG) that I've played (along with Morrowind and Baldur's Gate 2). Although it can be a bit frustrating in places, Gothic 2 is an enjoyable gaming experience which I highly recommend. Gameplay: This RPG is set in a medieval fantasy environment, replete with castles, dragons, magicians, and knights. Your character has just escaped from a prison and is now out in the world to fulfill his destiny. It's the same formula as other such games, but does not come off as corny. You can customize your character with ability scores like strength, mana, sword skills, and lockpicking, but for the most part the character creation possibilities of the game are rather limited. There are only 3 character classes, 3 guilds, about 10 ability scores and skills, and your character is the same person each game (same gender, no name, same basic appearance, etc.). Similar to Morrowind, the gaming world is huge and will take many hours to fully explore. The game does not have an on-screen automap, so you can easily get disoriented and lost. There are a lot of hidden dungeons and caves, and dozens of NPCs and monster types. One of the real strengths of the game is that it feels alive. NPCs have schedules and lots of animations (like cooking, sleeping, sitting, smoking, mining ore, farming, etc.), and all of their dialogue is spoken. There are night-and-day cycles and climate changes; even the animals and monsters sleep at night. Be warned: the game has mature themes like profanity and a functioning brothel, which also add to its realism. Gothic 2 is hard at first. Because the game allows you to roam freely, your 1st-level character can easily run into a shadowbeast that can kill him in one blow. Thus, you'll have to pick your fights wisely. (I am not sure why so many people have complained about the combat controls. I really liked the fighting system once I remapped the goofy default controls. Instructions for doing this can be found in the game's readme document, as well as instructions for setting up hotkeys for health potions.) One thing that I really missed was quick-travel options during the first half of the game. Eventually, you'll come across teleportation scrolls to take you to certain areas quickly, but you'll still be doing lots and lots of walking. Additionally, I liked the food system for the game, as well as the alchemy system. There are really only a few things that I didn't like about Gothic 2, besides the lack of a quick-travel system and an automap or compass (you can buy maps, but have to open your inventory to use them). First, the character creation options are too limited. Although there are many quests, I really wish you didn't have to be the same guy every game. Also, there was a noticeable lack of variety in armors, weapons, architecture, and other things. Compared to Morrowind or Diablo 2, Gothic 2 is kind of sparse in this regard. Finally, while the ending was good, it didn't allow you to go back and finish uncompleted quests or do further exploring. When it's over, it's over. (Hint: don't get on the paladin boat unless you are finished with questing on the mainland). Overall, the game was quite stable and will last about 50 hours. Graphics: The visuals for the game range from good to great. Most character animations are done decently, and the forest environments are lush and convincing. The water just looks okay, as does the sky. Monsters are well done for the most part. Sounds: This is a mixed bag. Ambient sounds are done well, and the music is appropriate. However, voice acting ranges from good to awful. Some characters have identical voices, including the several dragons that you'll fight. Also, thunder is not convincing. Overall, there are no big problems in this department. Replayability/Value: I thoroughly enjoyed Gothic 2 as a paladin and could see playing it again as one of the other two characters. Whlle it does not have the character creation versatility and editor capacity of Morrowind or the item customization of Diablo 2 or the great magic system and NPCs of Baldur's Gate 2, Gothic 2 gets a lot of things right. And for the current price ($10), you really can't get much more value for your money. I highly recommend Gothic 2 to anyone who enjoys adventure games and RPGs.