It's funny how you don't notice flaws until something better comes along
The new game is everything you might have expected for it to be, and more. As most people would probably agree with me, OaE had a really small quantity of weapons, and a few were quite useless. OaE introduces a whole bunch of new weapons, and all, and I mean ALL of them are effective in some way. Unlike the first, you'll probably use each weapon atleast twice, and not just to try them, but because they are useful.
There are a few new enemies, and a lot of returning ones, although the old enemies don't look any different(atleast with my Mobile), they still look good, and the new enemies, although a few a bit uninspired, like the all too common skeletons, but the Treants, tree people, look menacing, and spot a good design. Some of the new dungeon textures are goodlooking, like the forest textures, yet places like the caves look quite dull. Speaking of dungeons, now they are bigger, and sometimes the textures change, so you feel like you are going through one big world. It's hard to explain, but as you delve deeper into the dungeons, and see the muddy walls turn into foliage is really gratifying.
The hub-like zone were Gaya lived has been ditched, and instead, you go from dungeon to town to dungeon to town, etc. Although each town is basically the same, since all shops sell the same stuff, minus Ale(Now there's elven ale and dwarven ale) it's not such a big deal, but it is still a nice touch. You, fitting the shoes of Valin, a thief who snags Ellon from Elli, can steal from the inhabitants of the towns, and a very nice litttle thingie is that as you steal, you will eventually be jailed, and People will start commenting about security and the such. But that's not all, a new feature(Present in OaE DS, but not the original) is that you can barter. For example, the flame sword is priced at 2500, but if you try to barter while having a "good reputation", you could get it as cheap as 1800, maybe less. Yes, it may seem that being a nice guy is rewarding, but by stealing you can get acces to lots of items and cash, so sometimes you might feel tempted to steal a bit .
Another new feature is Lockpicking. While not groundbreaking, it adds a nice touch, though it might've been better if chests could be trapped or so. Also, now you posses the companionship of Bob, a cute little mouse that can fit through small openings and get you items, or heck, use him to scout up ahead. Secret areas are less plentiful than in the first OaE, and they are easier to find, something that most might find more appealing.
The game also got harder , remember the ambushes from the first OaE? They are back, and they come in even more unexpected moments, with larger mobs. Even on the easiest difficulty, it's harder than the first, which is good, since this game clocks around 3 hours, a lot less than the first game. Speaking of Difficulty, taking a note from OaE DS, there are 3 different difficulties, and Nightmare is...a real nightmare.
Ultimately, this game is superior to the first, although the shortness is a bit of a turn off, specially those who expected something as long as the first. Regardless, the difficulty makes up for it, besides, this game improves upon the first on every conceiveable way.