Non-biased, detailed review that tells about the game: pros, cons, and no nitpicking at size of dragons, or loss of loot
The Good: inuitive user interface, fantastic music and sound FX, runs great on older machines, massive amound of replay value and gameplay, good online community, only $20 at any game store.
The Bad: very steep learning curve, requires experimentation (not for kids), graphics are dated but do the job, lack of AI control, some classes underperform in critical game areas.
From the start however, you are thrown into a world you barely know. Character creation can be a real obstacle, as you choose all sorts of different skills, from attributes, to skill points, to class, to race, to whoa! Character creation is like planting a garden, or building a house of cards, a lot of love and care must go into it. If you're lost, or lazy to read (like I was), at a guide or an FAQ will set you straight. This is where the learning curve is very steep, during this critical process, because after that, your customization is limited to extras, spells and your armor, and they can be restricted by your beginning choices. Sometimes you have to start over. But experimentation is a great thing, because you learn that rogues are best with trap skills because of dexterity, and sorcerors shouldn't run into battle with a sword and tank it out. The creation and leveling of your character is really an involving process, because if you choose one way, you open a whole new path in the game's world. Because of this, replay value is great, and i have spent many hours creating new characters and playing through campaigns, expansions and player-created mods. I'll admit, the graphics aren't great, and they weren't all that great when the game came out. However, it does the job, and the animations for spells and effects are done particularly well. If you look closely, there is a lot of detail and effort put into the areas, creatures and items you have. The camera allows you to zoom in and out, look around and if you have patched it, you can follow your character using a chase-cam feature. Sound more than makes up for lack in graphics thanks to great music that cues at the right times and sets the right moves: grand battle music while fighting a boss, peaceful music in a forest, etc. There are also some funny and cool-sounding effects and skilled voice acting, not the traditional corny crap.
The combat is really a step-up. the user interface or UI, is very intuitive, and after a little learning, and reading, you quickly get the hang of using the "Radial Menu" and "Skill Bar", where most of your decisions in battle are made. Almost anything can be placed in the skill bar, from armor and weapon combinations, to quest items and magical wands. Should you require a skill that is useful, but you don't want it to clog your "Skill Bar", simply pause the game with the Spacebar, and right click on the target. You'll quickly find that combat can get dragged down with the pause-command-watch, but if you use hotkeys and your skill bar effectively, you can eliminate this.
Henchmen play your party members. Some are totally useless, while others are great. They can be total idiots, but they level up very well. You have no choice in the weapons, armor or skills/spells they have, the game's Dungeons and Dragons based system levels henchmen for you. Expansion campaigns give you more control over this later, but for many mods and the original game, your henchmen are totally leveled and mostly controlled by the AI.
You'll love the involving stories weaved by the scriptwriters, the dialogue is well worth reading. The quests are interesting and can be a fun challenge. This game is a great role-playing experience, and if you finish the campaigns, you can move to the online community, which is fairly large (around 3000) and play with friends and others around the world. And for 20$, who could go wrong?