I'm on my eighth play through...
With a main character created by you and a party of five other controllable characters, the game is simple to play, yet difficult to master. Thank goodness for the pause button is all I can say!
This is a world where there is political intrigue, magic and lots of bloody battles. The story is told through dialogue as you traverse your way through quests and huge areas, all of which you can interact with. Do you want to be good or evil? Do you want to explore a massive world? Romance a character? Be a mage? Be a fighter? Come back to the game again and again and again? All of this and more is catered for in this lovingly crafted game. The graphics do indeed look dated, but I feel they add to the grime of the city and the wilderness you find in the other areas.
The combat and exploration are great, but really it's the storyline and the characters who make the game for me. The story hooks you in right from the moment a twist is played out in the early stages of the game, and you have a definite goal to work towards. It won't be easy though. You have to work with other factions and guilds as you work towards that goal, and you meet some engaging characters along the way. Each chapter excites you and no matter how prepared you think you are for the next stage of the game, there is always something you don't expect on the horizon.
I cannot speak highly enough of Baldur's Gate II. Considering I've played many other major RPGs on the latest consoles and I'm still young, Baldur's Gate II is a game I always come back to, even after all those years ago I began playing it as a geeky fourteen year old.
Oh, and try not to be too upset at the end of the game...that's why they made the expansion pack ;-)