Gameplay: If you've played the Baldur's Gate games you pretty much know what to expect - this is the same AD&D 2e system. On the open-endedness vs. linear spectrum, Siege of Dragonspear sits somewhere between Shadow of Amn and Throne of Bhaal: There are fewer choices for movement on the world map than Shadow of Amn, but there are more optional dungeons and subquests within those areas than Throne of Bhaal. Some of the scripted battles are a bit of a slog and there are some weird spikes in difficulty and some fights that are less difficult than you'd expect, but overall it's what you can expect from a Baldur's Gate game. Graphics: Beamdog did an excellent job here, in my opinion. The background graphics are true to the original style of the series, just sharper and more colorful. This is most obvious in the prologue dungeon, and then the differences just sort of fade into the background (as it should, as far as I'm concerned.) A+, they were really walking a fine line here, and they got the job done. Story: Interesting take on the events between BG1 and BG2, but the grandness of it kind of diminishes the events of Shadow of Amn. The fan service / nostalgia pandering with bringing many of the original voice actors back is actually done in a mostly tasteful and unobtrusive way, and the one old character central to this story makes pretty good narrative sense. Overall, pretty good!
If you're ready to do a *lot* of reading to enjoy the rich world building and can set aside the simplistic game mechanics, it's pretty fun. Gorgeous graphics and interesting story.
