Not sure why the game gets so much love...
Computer Specs
Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz, 8 gig RAM, Radeon HD 5850
Documentation
The game is pretty easy to jump in and play, but the manual does a good job at explaining how to do things within the game where necessary. It could be a little more in depth as far as explaining some of the mechanics of how things work, but since the game is simple it isn't too much of an issue.
Character Creation
The character creation is very light compared to more in depth RPGs. There are only 3 classes, along with 4 character stats. There are also 3 skill trees where you can customize you characters skills. I played a Destroyer, which is your basic fighter class. I played my game on Hard. The difficulty level is selected when you create your character and can't be changed.
Getting Started
Play is based out of the town of Torchlight. This is where you get quests and sell items. There are basically 3 types of quests; story quests, kill monster X, find item x. The story is very weak and is there just to move you from dungeon level to dungeon level. It was so think that I didn't really care about it at all.
Graphics
The dungeons looked nice, but the characters were too cartoony for my tastes. That isn't to say they weren't well done, just not my style. I was able to play with the details turned up.
Gameplay
Like most shiny new games, my initial impresions were good. It was fun to explore the dungeons, find new items, and encounter new monsters to fight. You do find a lot of items, in my opinion too many items. After my character go established (about midway through the game) I rarely found an item I wanted to use. There are just so many items it becomes a chore to look at each one to see if you want it. Luckily you have a pet that you can send back to town to sell your items so you don't have to slog back to town. There are also town portal scrolls so you can go to town and return pretty quickly. So if you want to you can pick up everything and sell what you don't need for some money. One nice feature is that you can spend your money to enchant your items. This almost always bestows a bonus to your item, but it also has a chance to do nothing (and waste your money), or strip all the bonus off your item. My items were disenchanted once all game, so it didn't happen often, but it did happen on my best item so it was a little disappointing.
It didn't take too long for the game to get boring to me for several reasons. The first it was too easy. During my fights I was able to just rush in and click without needing to think. There wasn't any challenge after my first 5 hours or so until the very end. That is another 25 + hours of mindless clicking. There are so many health and mana potions I never had to ration what I used. Maybe it is better on Very Hard, but I am not interested in doing another play through.
The second reason for bordom was the lack of meaningful choices. You can accept or deny quests, but since you are here to play I don't why you would, other than you just want to get through the game. There aren't any repercussions . Since the game was so easy, I didn't have to think very much about what items I equipped. The most meaningful choice you have to make is whether you try and enchant your items since there is a risk of removing all bonuses.
The End Game
I finally got my wish for some difficulties during the end game. The final fight was very tough. The problem was it just wasn't fun for me. It was just some mindless avoidence while trying to do some damage. Maybe it was because I had already endured so much bordem.
Overall score (1 to 10): 5
If you are after a very light game that doesn't require much thinking, there is some enjoyment to be had. Since I got the game on sale I don't regret the purchase too much, but I wish my compulsion to finish games didn't drive me to keep playing until completion. I don't remember Diablo being so mindless, but maybe it was. Looking at the scores from other players and reviewers you can see that my mediocre score is in the minority, so there are a lot of people enjoying the game.