Neverwinter Nights may be almost 10 years old, but it remains one of the best ways for new players to learn to know D&D on the pc. Though it is still plagued by a lot of minor bugs, the singleplayer campaign of the base game is somewhat dull at times, and the graphics may look aged to a modern player, there are few other games that let you spend hundreds of hours in a way that it's both accessible for new gamers and still has a lot of roleplaying depth to it. The singleplayer campaign of the original is really lengthy, especially for players who wish to complete every sidequest and collect any loot in the game. Because of the scalable difficulty and abundance of good loot in this game, it is perhaps one of the most 'action-rpg'like games of Biowares epic RPGs. However, the millions of possible character you can roll and all of the lore and difficult challenges (dragons!) in the game give a lot of depth to it a hardcore player can enjoy as well. Unfortunately, the original campaign can get a bit bland sometimes, especially in the first chapter where every room and street look alike. This does improve in the second and third acts. Another problem are the bugs: though a zillion of patches have been released (even fan made ones) the companions and quests still have a lot of annoying little hiccups here and there. Luckily, the singleplayer campaigns of the two first expansions solve most of these problems and add many new features, such as henchman inventory and more alignment changes. While the singleplayer (150hrs+ including expansions) can easily stand on its own as a full game, the multiplayer adds even more fun. The engine and its tools allow for many creative modules and a multiplayer scene that is still active today! Playing as a Dungeon Master or experiencing new story lines in player-created modules really adds to the game's already high value. The graphics of NWN are decent for its time: the light effects and monster models still look stunning in high resolutions today. It might not be state-of-the-art any more but it does allow for a great experience on netbooks and other low-end systems. The music and sounds are simply some of the best ever. The atmosphere of the game is really enhanced by some of these sounds. Conclusion? The small price you pay on GOG for this gem and its great expansions still gets you 10 times more value than the 60+ dollars/euros you would pay for ANY modern game. Must-buy!!!!
