First off: for anyone complaining about the bugs, immediately go download the Circle of Eight patch/mod (it *is* compatible with GOG version of this game) and patch your game. Bugs Be Gone. Enjoy. End of story. Now, to the game: This is, simply put, the best turn-based RPG ever put to a computer screen. It's combat engine is better than anything I've seen, including the Fallout games (those are better games, story-wise, but the turn-based combat is really thin compared to ToEE's D&D adapted engine). ToEE does what no other computer RPG has ever done, and that is accurately and wonderfully implement the Dungeons & Dragons rules, right down to movement and attacks of opportunity! It's thrilling and fun to watch the table-top D&D rules that so man of us grew up on come to life in a game like this. Combat in this game is strategic and fun! I've never seen a game do D&D rules this well. The story is taken straight out of an adventure module from D&D and is chocked full of neat maps, unique locations, fun loot, some pretty intense combat situations. It's everything you'd expect from D&D. The only thing the game really lacks is some memorable characters. This is one area where games like Baldur's Gate and Fallout have an upper hand - they have memorable NPC's and arguably a much better and deeper story. But those games are deeper and broader games. This is an adventure module, and for what it is, it's a load of fun. This isn't the huge world of Fallout wasteland or the Sword Coast. But what's there is great. And besides, what this game is really about is party-based adventure. Combat is really the heart and soul of ToEE. This game is pure delight for those of us who like to construct our entire adventuring party from scratch, and then go out into the world and adventure. Table-top D&D has always had a far richer combat experience than any computer game could ever emulate. But ToEE gets as close to the real thing as I've ever seen. I mean, attacks of opportunity! Heck yes! AoE spells (Web) that actually matter! And movement is something that is actually important. It's simply awesome to move your cursor around the game and watch the computer calculate your character's path on the ground with bright lines, with markers for attacks of opportunity, letting you know if you can actually make that move and attack, or not. The turn-based combat lends itself to far more strategy than the spacebar-stoppage of games like Baldur's Gate. It's awesome fun to watch your part walk away from a really heated battle with lots of NPC's, somehow surviving because that last sword strike felled the final enemy... It's just awesome fun. The shame is that more games like ToEE aren't made. Because this sort of turn-based D&D RPG is brilliant fun.
