Opening the Baldurs Book a little Wider

This game comes and goes, it hooks me in, the storyline is suitably complex and interesting, there are plenty of skill/ability tweaks to play with, however I'm turned cold by a party control mechanism that is fiddly in combat and a click-heavy inventory system. The whole world does capture your imagination, and you do get a sense of how big and complex the story can get. The sheer number of townsfolk who want your help to begin can be overwhelming. I'm used to one quest at a time, not a request for three different ones from people in the same inn! As I play through some of the refinements to the game shine through, the ability to assign and script up different AI for each of your party members still leaves me impressed. Sometimes it takes a couple of party wipeouts to fix in your mind the correct AI needed for you raggle-taggle group to gel together as a mean fighting machine. The wealth of different spells can amaze and bewilder at the same time. Hard study is required if you are to master the spellcasting in Baldurs Gate II. I wish the character graphics were a little more defined and solid. The backgrounds are superb, obviously labors of love. But the characters are too sketchy when that small. There is also no fluidity to their movement - like wooden dolls clip-clopping around awkwardly. I guess I have been spoilt by the beauty that is Record of Lodoss War for the DC - but I just expected more from the PC title. They give you workable representations of your party, the spells and other effects are not all that spectacular - but as long as get the general idea of fantasy combat and spell casting then they serve their purpose too. There is a lot of dialogue. Maybe too much. I find (when I'm getting tired) that I skim over the several options you have in reply to a lengthy question. And I just try to pick one that seems most appropriate. There is some humour wrapped up in the dialogue that will catch you unawares. Although I'm not so sure about the 'trick' questions that are sometimes used to make sure you are still awake when answering. I suppose, given the epic nature of the game, you should immerse yourself as fully as you can, reading absolutely everything so that you can capture the atmosphere of the game, the way Bioware intended.

The more I play the game, the more I'm pleasantly surprised by further revelations in both story and interface. The ability to save often is very much welcomed. Especially for a gamer like me who likes to try several approaches - just to see if I can get away with it.