both games are really good and highly polished. Can be hard at times but a lot of playtime can be had.

Ahhh, my arch nemesis returns to show its ugly head. Walking speed, why do you keep ruining games i would like?

Seriously though don't pick this game up if you don't like spending over 50% of your game time doing absolutely nothing but walking. Yes, I know there is quick travel, but it only takes you to certain points on the map.

But it is on sale! How can you resist?

my mind isn't blown yet

Awesome I hope you enjoy it :)

what really made my day was this little feature:

if you choose "atheist" as your belief while creating your character, and when you come across a creature that tries to cast "curse" on you, the game just notes "you don't believe in curses so it does no harm to you" :D

If, like me, you have a thing about having to play female characters...

Skip this. Go straight to Book II, which adds the choice.

Nailed it!

Eschalon Book 1 and 2 were gifted to me (on gamersgate) many moons ago by a very generous gog.com member. I cannot remember who, but it was very kind of him/her and I am very greatful.

It took me a little while to play them but once I did, I couldn't put them down. The difficulty level is spot on, just as you gain levels, the monsters get tougher, the story is interesting and the old-school rpg-ness is perfect. At $3 and $5 a pop, if you enjoy old-school rpg games (my era is late 80s early 90s), I would definitely recommend you get these. They aren't too long (I think around 20 hours each - although maybe that included some non playing time - which was perfect for me). I can't wait for book 3.

I'll be picking these up as a thank you to the devs for making such a great game.

... and thanks gog.com for the mac versions!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed playing this and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an exploration based RPG with turn based combat.

It took me about 30-35 hours to complete, so I'd consider it an absolute bargain at this price.

That is cool.

Reminds me of the guy in unepic, which after being possessed by a spirit he can't be controlled because he has no faith.

Although to be fair, you should be unafected by holy spells too, such as healing. And make it as annoying as Arcanum, I guess.

I recall playing a demo of Book I and enjoying it quite a bit.
Here's a link for anyone interested, give it a try:
http://basiliskgames.com/eschalon-book-i

Wow, will DEFINITELY be grabbing both of these when I get paid on Friday. They look amazing.

Thanks GOG for getting them and at such a cheap PRICE for the first week!!

ha ha, Arcanum was the worst in this, I had to let Virgil go as he was of no use later - instead, I crafted a cool medical mechanical spider :D

Love these 2 games, have them both on Steam already but to support the devs I will buy them here also for the extras, I contacted them to say thanks for creating a series of games that has actually held my interest. I am 22 hours into the second game at the moment and have been loving it (You can get around 60 hours out of the game if you do everything from what I have read). I actually got an email back off them saying thanks for supporting our games, I did also mention in my email why not get these games on GOG and here they are!!!

Its not often a dev would even take the time to reply to a fan so it was really nice getting a reply that wasn't automated.

It can be played like the Baldurs Gate / Icewind Dale games. You can do hack n slash or pause during combat to set what you are going to do. If you wish you can also turn on a turn based grid.

I prefer these games over the Spiderweb games, they are considerably more accessible and easier to get to grips with and don't punish you for mistakes.

Really high point for me is also the sound, the music and effects add to the whole setting, they have got the balance just right between visuals, music and effects.

So stop reading this now and BUY BOTH GAMES!!!!

Not forgetting Book 3 is out later this year :)