An minor (and probably pointless) point, but I've always referred to this game as Torment, rather than Planescape Torment. I mean, isn't planescape the setting? No one goes around calling Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale The Forgotten Realms: etc, do they?

Me over here, I've always called it Planescape Torment. That's because Baldur's Gate is a good title on its own. But just Torment is too generic.
When you say Baldur¡s Gate, everyone knows what you are talking about, but when you say Torment, you have to add something like "the game" or "the crpg" , then you could just go directly with planescape torment

I'm with you Barry, calling the game "Planescape Torment" always felt silly to me. I just call it Torment.

I don't really mind people calling it Planescape Torment, but when I see someone calling it just "Planescape" (or even worse, "Planetscape"... ughn ¬_¬) it really irks me.

The Forgotten Realms is the best known campaign setting, and generally its isn't included in the name of games (or books).

The names of other settings, however, *do* seem to be included - eg

Birthright : The Gorgon's Alliance
Ravenloft :Stone Prophet
Dark Sun : Shattered Lands
Spelljammer : Pirates of Realmspace
Al-Qadim : The Genie's Curse

I don't know if this was the way TSR wanted it, or if it just became convention over time.

Maybe a stupid question, but I'am not a native english speaker, so forgive me ;)
I have asked myself often, what is the meaning of planescape torment. Could anyone be so kind to describe with a couple words the sense what is meant with this title? There's no translation for "planescape" in german, at least I haven't found one.

And then, how is it pronounced?
Do you say "plan" and "escape" or rather ""plane" and "scape".... My feeling says the second variant, because it's written together. And that sounds better.

It's a combination of the word "plane" (as in a plane of existence) and part of the term "landscape".

The second pronunciation is correct. I'm not surprised you couldn't find a translation, as it's a made up word, as Jonesy described. It's the name of one of the Dungeons and Dragons settings - or, to be more precise, of the "meta-setting" of the various planes of existence surrounding nearly all the other settings (or at least, they used to until WotC retconned things...mutter). Within the Planescape (which is also the in-setting name for the network of planes) things tend to be somewhat different to a standard fantasy setting, in a way which encourages a more philosophical and thoughtful kind of play, rather than the stereotypical "go into a dungeon and kill everything" that other settings often contain. TvTropes, as always, has more information if you're interested.

The game is called Planescape: Torment because it's set in the Planescape setting, and has inherited the philosophical and roleplay heavy kind of story the setting encourages. The reason for the Torment part of the name...is revealed as you play the game.

Actually, now that 5E restored alignment to the original 9 square grid instead of the stripped down linear continuum, the planes that vanished in 4E should be back to normal.

Thank you two very much! :)
That's quite interesting and fascinating, I want to start playing it finally, but... I can't decide for the perfect time...
According to what I have heard and read about it (here and elsewhere), it might be "just" the best game in video game history... Man, that seems nothing to be played in the meantime or out of boredom, that cries for mental preparation. ;)
Are other (RPG-) games still fun after PT? Especially Icewind Dale and Baldurs Gate, they both are also yet unplayed by me. Would you recommend an order to play these three?

Good luck :) Just be aware that the game is very heavy on story and light on action, especially early on, with the story and pacing being more akin to a character study than a traditional D&D high fantasy story. Personally, that's one of the things I like about it, but I don't want to repeat my gushing over the game too much. As for your other question, this thread should help you (it only talks about BG and NWN, but I think that the same rationales can be applied to IWD); I don't think so myself, but then again I'm apparently in the minority that didn't like BG that much in the first place.