Time for me to buy another GOG game. I am trying decide between Arcanum or the Gothic. I am looking for a recommendation on which one to get first (I will most likely get them both eventual) . What are the pros and cons of each one?

Thanks

100% opinion

I'd say the Gothic control scheme is a bit annoying and might take some time getting used to.

But personally I'd say Arcanum. Not that Gothic would be a bad choice either.

Arcanum has a good bit of replayability and should last longer than Gothic. Though that is, of course, just my opinion.

One thing to try in Arcanum at some point, is playing a character with low intelligence, probably a half-ogre, and read the journal entries. :P

How can 'long' be a con?

As for order: Gothic is easier to get into and shorter, so it makes sense to be a first play, working up to the deeper complexity of Arcanum. On the other hand, the graphics on Arcanum are less immersive, so you might want to start there and work up, because playing it after gothic might feel like a step down.

Gothic is the better game.

Gothic:
+Skill based combat
+Unique leveling system
+Large world to explore
+Replayable
-Looks like crap
-Difficult for a newcomer

Arcanum:
+Lot of choices for character customization
+Larger world to explore
+Lots of choices for quests
-Badly balanced
-Too ambitious
-Combat tries to be two things and does it horribly

Hmmm.... thanks for the impute but I still cant make up my mind, (I am less concerned about the money than the time I will spend on the game (I do not like to buy game and not finish it) What about betrayal at Krondor. What are the pros and cons of that game and how does it stack up against Arcanum and Gothic.

As for my tastes in Games I would have to say that Planescape Tormaent is one of my all-time favorites. But I do like games that put an emphasis on survival and "character vs environment " (your character needs to eat, sleep, find shelter etc. to stay alive) But they don't make too many RPGs like that anymore... ahh the early 90's)

Thanks for the feedback and recommendations

You may enjoy Arx Fatalis. Gothic 2 is more man vs enviroment, you can learn a variety of skills and the gameplay is very enjoyable once you get past the learning curve.

Betrayal at Krondor is one of the finest CRPGs, at least in my opinion. It has a very well-written story behind it (written by renowned fantasy author Raymond E. Feist). The whole game feels like some good interactive novel, but you also have a large amount of freedom (in most chapters, you have a large area to roam around freely) and lots of side quests beside the main plot. It also features a unique, simple-yet-effective leveling system.
Its cons are its quite dated graphics and at times tedious/uneven battles (some times I felt the devs were intentionally screwing with me). Also, if you're not keen on reading, it may be not for you, as most of the story is presented as if it were a real book.
The game is considerably shorter than Arcanum, and your party/characters are much less customizable, but it's also much less trial-and-error (which, unfortunately, marks the first part of Arcanum).

(I've not played much Gothic yet, so I can't compare BaKr to that game.)