The game in its mechanics is ok, but the campaign scenarios do not respect your time. It is the first RTS in my life that has some sort of 'grind' mechanics. Also - the maps are enormous, while their content is relatively small. There are some minor flaws, like weird voice acting and sometimes weird soundtrack. You can surely have fun while playing Celtic Kings, but you have to accept its problems, which I don't recommend.
The game is so fun. With HD mod (which is kind of obligatory) it easily beats HoMM5, another good game from the series. It's not that story-driven like the fifth game, but it's not a big problem in a turn-based strategy game. My only problem with the game is, that the King's Bounty series have quite a similar combat system, which works much, much better (and is less exploitable). The rest is just an honest 9/10. Very recommended.
It's not a good game to start with the franchise (but the Witcher 2 is even worse tbh) and it's ok to simply start from the third one. There is no comparison - the Witcher 3 is a better game - better written, better in a technological way, better in the gameplay. But still - the Witcher 1 has this uniqueness that I really appreciate. It's much darker than the later games and gives us a unique story and setting. There is no city like Vizima in the rest of the games and no place like the Lakeside. I hope that a remake will appear some day.
To be honest it's still a good game, like the rest with the IE games. The really good thing is the implementation of the rules of the D&D 3e. That makes the gameplay fresh and enjoyable. The interface and the graphics are improved, which makes the game very playable even without the EE. It's the first time in an IE game (and the only one) you get some good premade parties with unique stories. It was really fun to play. Oh, and the soundtrack was fun, but still not that epic like in the PS:T or BG. But on the other hand the game copies the problems od IWD1 and makes them kind of worse. The story itself is OK, but let's make that clear - the game is about the combat and exploring the dungeons. Most of the locations are linear and you have to do them one by one. I liked it in the first game, but in IWD2 it just hurt me a lot. These two things make the game very mediocre. You can enjoy it like I did, but not everyone will. To sum up - if you want to try an IE game on the new set of rules - just go for IWD2. If you played the rest of IE games and you still want more - the game is for you. If you want to play just a good cRPG with a great story - you had better (re)play BG2, there is simply no comparison.
