I am still pretty new to GOG and this is one of the first games I have downloaded that was pretty buggy when originally released. Is the version I have from GOG the patched version? Or do I need to go download some bug-fixes to really get a good playthrough?

edit: nvm, I should check the "sticky" posts before posting. bad forum etiquette, sorry

No problem. Generally speaking, with the exception of few new games GOG has, all GOG games are patched to latest OFFICIAL patch so in general they should work pretty well out of the box. Obviously some games were left with lot of bugs after final patch so using unofficial patches is recommended in many cases. There usually is a sticky topic in each game forum that lists recommended unofficial patches and mods. Don't be afraid to ask around (most of us don't bite) if you can't find what you're looking for and if community is unable to help, you can always contact GOG's own support for assistance. GOG tech wizards usually can figure out how to fix most problems.

For Arcanum it's recommended to install the following:

1. Unofficial Arcanum Patch Version 091225
2. High quality townmaps pack
3. Arcanum High Resolution Patch Version 1.1a
4. High quality music pack (MP3)

If you are running Vista/Win7/Win8, either install Arcanum (you really should do this to all your games, saves you from tons of headache later) outside program files folder (c:\games or something) or run the patches as administrator to make sure they install properly (right click the executable and select "run as administrator").

Also right click the arcanum shortcut, select properties and add "-no3d -doublebuffer" to the end without " ". (should look something like this C:\games\GOG.com\Arcanum\Arcanum.exe -no3d -doublebuffer)

Welcome and do enjoy your stay here.

What's the advantage to double buffering, if I may ask?

Graphical artifacts:

If you're experiencing graphical glitches, try running the game in the software rendering mode by using the '-no3d' command line argument.

Slowdown:

In case the game runs sluggishly or you're experiencing some slowdown when scrolling the screen/having UI windows on the screen/etc, try the '-doublebuffer' command line argument. You can use both '-no3d' and '-doublebuffer' at the same time.

List of command line arguments.

Thank you. Especially for that link.

If you've installed UAP (unofficial arcanum patch), you can also use -window command line argument to run game in windowed mode, HOWEVER it's fidgety at best. If you are experiencing problems with it there are couple things you can try:

1. Remove -doublebuffer. Drog stated long ago that window and doublebuffer were not compatible and removing it solved problems for me at least (-doublebuffer enabled caused all sorts of problems from abysmal performance and screen resolution issues to screen drawing problems (black screen you can clear with cursor)).

2. Rename ddraw.dll in arcanum folder to "ddraw.dll.old" or something like that.

If neither work, you're probably stuck playing in fullscreen.

Don't forget the Extra Animations Pack !

I've already started the game. Would it serve any purpose to download the patches now. Please forgive me. I'm an avid gamer but I am pretty limited when it comes to the technical aspects of a computer. Even more so now that I have Windows 8, if you know what I mean lol

Thanks in advance for your help :-)

Drog's patch fixes a lot of bugs. For starters, it adds six endings that couldn't be previously obtained due to a bug.

My advice is to download patches, install a second copy of the game elsewhere, apply the patch(es) to it and try running the game. If you arrive at a new location and the game still works, strongly consider playing the patched version.