Excellent.
Pros/cons
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-Gameworld 9/10 - Vast, immersive world with a similar feel to Gothic 3 and Oblivion. If you like to explore rather than being led down a linear path (i.e. Dragon Age, point A to point B), this game world will appeal to you. From the dense forests that differ in each section of the map to intricately detailed castles, the gameworld is extremely well done. As many have complained about invisible walls or not being able to swim, both clearly do not detract from the game. Frankly, who cares if you can't jump off a 100 foot cliff to your death or swim across the ocean. Whoop dee doo.
-Audio effects 9/10 - Swordplay, environmental ambient noise, and other effects are extremely well done.
-Voice acting 7.5/10 - Not too shabby. Once again, not sure where all the hate is coming from on this. Titles such as Oblivion were certainly no better. The exception is that intonation is occasionally off as they obviously recorded some of the audio in sections.
-Graphics/Animations 10/10 - If you have the hardware to run this game you will be impressed by the level of detail and cutting edge graphics in Arcania. I frequently find myself pausing in-game just to look at the scenery and architecture as it's superb. In addition, spell effects, torches and other in game animations and effects are fantastic. Anyone stating otherwise is either blind in both eyes or running this game in 640x480 with options off.
-Questing 8.5/10 - The storyline, after 10+ hours of gameplay, has certainly kept my interest. There are the usual sidequests in addition to the main plot, all equally as interesting as any of the past RPGs I've played.
-Items and loot 8.5/10- There is a good balance of items and loot in the game. The loot drops and chests are done with thought, coming across as realistic and not stacked like some RPGs. This adds to the immersion of the game as you appreciate that uber item purchase or drop.
-Crafting 6/10 - Limited crafting system for weapons/armor, potions and other items. Nonetheless, does the job and unless you're a die hard crafter, it will probably suit you just fine.
-Combat 8/10 - While it takes a bit to get use to it, once you get the hang of it you'll find it's not bad at all. Comments about combat being too easy clearly indicate the writer never played in 'Gothic' mode, which increases the difficulty. Having tried that myself, I was personally handed a beating on several occasions.
-Music score 10/10 - Excellent and suits the game perfectly.
It's apparent that die-hard Gothic fans of the series were expecting something completely different and were let down, hence the number of negative posts. The demo is also quite linear and doesn't accurately reflect the game itself. However, don't let that steer you away as you may end up missing a great RPG title.
If you're a fan of titles like Oblivion, NWN, Dragon Age, Gothic 3, Risen and the like, appreciate what each game has to offer, and have realistic expectations I'm confident you'll enjoy it.