Well, I wont worry about any of this stuff about Gothic 1 or 3.   I am playing Gothic 2.  And I am moving forward.   I really love this game and that is all I need to keep going.  If I ever finish this game, I might think about 1 or 3. But that  is a long time in the future.  

But Hi Finkbug,  good to see you back here.   And, Scout, every time I read what you have to say is a plesure.   Kay

Finkbug

I would love to say something that would really get you excited about Gothic 2.  But I don't know what that could be.  I really love this game.  It is climbing up the list of my most favorite games.   But I am only in Chapter 3. 

It was hard to get going since I was so weak and inexperienced to start.  But I was that way in Morrowind (where I had you as an early guide).  And I did what you told me to do in Morrowind -- go out and pick herbs.  And somehow  I moved on.

Finkbug, here is what I like most about Gothic 2.

It is elegantly designed.  This is the most eleganlty designed RPG I have ever played.   And believe me,  I know what elegant design is.   I spent many year of my life as an instructional designer and then managing IDs.  Less is always more.  And that is exactly what this game does.   

Unlike many other RPGs where you get a gigantic world to play in (Morrowing/Oblivion/Outcast 3 -- all of which I love)  this world is small.  But within this small world the designers have created a very complex place in terms of the environment and the story.  I am in awe of what they have done.

That is all I can say for now.   Kay

Scout said:

Elegantly designed.

That quite nicely condenses my 4000 word review down to two words.

I agree totally, kay.

But Scout, without your 4000 word review I never would have played this game.    Thank you so much for leading me to games I enjoy.  Kay

Done, done, done.  In case you don't get it,  I have finished Gothic 2 - Night of the Raven.   And the further along I got, the more I liked it.   This may be because I built a really strong character who was overwhelming with a 2 hander.  But it is also because of the story.  

And I loved fighting the Dragons.   Here is where I could use my built up  inventory of scrolls.  I did ice on the fire dragon.  I heaped fire on the ice dragon. etc etc.  At the end I still had great stuff to use to   "shrink demon".  Great spell. 

Anyway,  I am done.   I greatly enjoyed this game.

I want to thank Scout for his review.  That is what got me to consider this game.  And I would like to thank Scout and Pokey and others who helped me get through it. 

And now  I am faced with the question that every gamer faces when they finish a game they really loved.   What next? 

Kay

Well, what I think am going to do is load up Gothic 3 and give it a  look.   And also go back to Fallout 3 (one of my favorite games) and try the expansions --some of which I already have loaded.  

And if none of this makes me happy,  I guess it is time to play The Witcher which has been loaded on my computer for months.

So life is good.

Many possibilities.

Kay