Wrote an earlier review for Titan Quest a while ago, and have changed my mind....
Then about a month ago, on a flyer, I bought the Gold version for $19.99 from a local vendor to give it another shot.
So I guess you could say that this is more of a review of the Immortal Throne expansion pack and its improvements than the original Titan Quest, however, I have become pleasantly surprised with a few of the changes in the latest version that have greatly improved the playability, too many to name here, but suffice to say, totally worth way more than the $19.99 I spent on it.
Inevitably, the comparisons come back to the (by-now vintage classic...) Diablo 2. Is it better?? In some ways no, but in numerous ways yes. Is it a rip-off of a classic hall of fame game?? Maybe, but as has been often said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. About the only the only thing that Diablo 2 really has well over TG Gold, is that that most of Diablo 2's environs randomize between each game (however, the important areas of Diablo 2 always remain fixed as well). And, while TQ Gold's environs are always the same, there's enough randomness with the various baddies and chest locations each time it gets fired up, to make it interesting, as well as the fact that the overall game's many areas are so huge all together, one cannot get too used to them.
My earlier problem with the original game was that I was not familiar enough with the game mechanics to really give it a fair shot (e.g., one wrong thing I kept doing was restarting the game everytime I died, rather than continuing immediately from the rebirth fountains, which would not have allowed boss monsters to regain their hits points, and eventually I would be able to wear them down...).
I guess what I really like about it the best, is the "boutique" aspect of TQ Gold, one can fire it up, play for about 20 minutes if that's all one has, and make some definite progress in both character advancement and material gain, or, one can play it for a number of hours during a rainy afternoon/evening, and really make some headway. Both are equally enjoyable.
The bottom line for me is that in terms of bang for the buck, this dual offering is now one of the best in my collection. It is just plain fun for me, and I intend to play it for a long while, experimenting with differing character combos.
In short, if you really liked Diablo 2, this is no reason that you would not like this combo offering equally as well.