This is What RPGs are Meant to Be

We purchased this game after hearing a few of our friends talking about it every time we got together. They would compare notes about where their characters were, how annoyed they were by Noober, what they found in the various towns.

This game out ought to come with a warning on the box: It will cost you more in time than it ever did in money. However, every minute spent will be one of excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment. Even when the computer is off, you will be talking about it to your friends--comparing notes on the best tactics for each battle, who to befriend and who to anger, which NPCs to bring along, what armor to wear, and how to solve various side quests.

Baldur's Gate manages to improve on the computer RPG concept in many ways. The plot, while requiring the gamer to solve some clues in certain order, is linear only when necessary. The player has a lot of freedom to determine the order in which to complete tasks, which friends to make, and which quests to take. There is no single right way to accomplish the player's goal. Indeed, there is no single goal that every player must adopt.

There are plenty of places to explore within the Baldur's Gate game. You can go interesting places, meet interesting people, and NOT necessarily kill them. Indeed, there many situations where the solution is not black and white. If a character is not careful, he or she could end up killing an ally or sparing an enemy. There are people who will try to trick and mislead you.

The game is also very true to the AD&D rules, making it especially appealing for for those paper and pencil RPGers who like to game in TSR's (now WotC's) most popular game world--Forgotten Realms.

There were a fair number of glitches to this game, but most of them can be fixed with patches and the Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion.

Oh, while there are plenty of on-line tips and walk-throughs for the game, let me suggest that you finish the game first, THEN go back and read the walk-throughs. It'll be more fun if you finish the game yourself first and use the walk-through for your second or third character.