Most "professional" reviewers didn't get far enough into the game to give it an adequate review. Sure, they read other reviews and user ops and worded together whatever they needed to to meet the deadline.
But there is no way they had the time to give this game its props. PC Gamer (a magazine I have subscribed to for 5 years and still enjoy) was particularly shameful. I remember reading the original paragraph-long review (complete w/ a screenshot you could get 15 min. into the game - including install) and passing on it.
Thank god I happened on Gothic 2. Most research I did on it recommended I buy the original. I got it for 14 bucks on Amazon. That was 3 months ago. I just finished it.
What a ride. My old system (P4 1.5 ghz GeForce Ti200 512 Mb ram) ran it beautifully. If you're used to the latest games and their lagginess, the graphic smoothness of this one will be a welcome change. All of the complaints from 2001 must have been taken care of, because I had no problems with the interface, keyboard, or mouse. SO many complained about the controls. I enjoyed learning them. They are not that difficult. Just get used to holding down ctrl while you do your actions (The trade screen takes some figuring out, but once you have it it's easy). One note - SAVE OFTEN. I had desktop crashes w/multiple enemies early in the game. From about the halfway point it never crashed again, but I would still be careful. The engine seems to have trouble with too many individual subroutines.
As for the story - it's perfect for this type of game. You're dropped into a prison colony. A magical barrier prevents you from getting out. You have to make your way around a large game world that includes countless creatures, NPC's, and quests. If you stick it out to the end (like most reviewers didn't) You will be rewarded!
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