As far as mechanics goes, this is the gold standard for how a puzzle game should be. While the puzzles might sometimes be hard in their execution (I'm looking at you, spaceship) they are not obtuse, you never really feel like you are executing some sort of logic that only the developer could possibly understand, which was a huge problem as the genre went forward. With enough time and exploration every piece of confusion will have a eureka moment where you fit everything into place in your head. Like a good mystery novel you could work backwards and see all the pieces were there all along, waiting to be put together in your head. That being said, it was never the puzzles that really drew me to this game, it was the world itself. Once I was done with the main plotline, which was threadbare but still intriguing, I would stick around and explore the ages, creating stories and adventure in my mind, making each age feel like a sort of home. The attention to detail and the obvious love of crafting the world made this an easy feat, and I still find myself loading my final save to explore the world I had unlocked. Few games can claim to accomplish this, making a world you want to stay and wrap yourself up in. That being said, starting a new game from scratch can be tedious, as you already have all the answers you just need to execute them, and the game will most likely only take you a few days to complete. But overall this is the sort of game that shows you the raw potential of what a game can be, and most importantly how it can spark the imagination instead of leading it around by the nose.
While it was considered by many to be the inferior follow up (not sequel) to Krondor, Antara is one of my all time favorite games. The combat system is almost exactly like that found in Krondor, and the story and atmosphere are as worthy of the original as anything I have ever seen. You can spend loads of time ignoring the main quest, going around meeting new people, finding enjoyable and often humorous tavern songs, or just exploring the wilderness. These elements rarely feel like a chore, and you will find yourself blissfully ignoring to storyline to see all there is to see. So fond of the atmosphere of this game was I that I re-bought the 3 cd set a few years back, procured an old copy of windows 98, and ran that with a processor slowing program within a virtual desktop. Now, thanks to gog, we don't have to perform such silliness for the game. If you liked the original, or just like RPGs with a lot of character, pick this one up.
