I love this game I still replay at least once a year. The very best of the Thief series. After getting used to the somewhat sparse graphics compared to modern games, the gameplay is varied, has a good solid plot with clear villains and even a master villain called Karras, who has a diabolical plan you learn about in stages, and which, in the final mission you are tasked with stopping. The game is just the right amount of eerie without being over the top, full of atmosphere and menace, and never seems to get dull. As Garrett, the master thief, you are plunged into the pseudo medieval world of The City. You are given a goal at the beginning of each mission and usually a minimum loot figure to steal. You face various challenges, (sometimes you are not allowed to kill or even knock out enemy) always with the goal of collecting all loot possible. In between missions you get more new stuff to buy, (so spend all your money on items, you cannot carry money over to the next level).The game is mostly about stealth, takes place entirely by night, but there are many times some judicious violence is needed as well. There are no firearms, but you have many weapons at your disposal: arrows, fire arrows, gas bombs and gas mines, explosive mines, fire arrows for putting out torches to hide. A sword as well, along with rope arrows for climbing, and even something called a "frog beast egg" that you drop near your enemy and run. The frog beast will chirp, chase your enemy and explode itself, sometimes killing them. Coolest of all is "invisibility potion", which makes you disappear from enemies for about 10 or 15 seconds - enough time to knock out a tough enemy or make an escape. Inhabiting the City are several groups, most of them out to get you: There are plenty of ordinary folk and these people are mostly prey. The City functions like a normal large city with many wealthy targets to hit - the more money inside, the more well guarded they are, naturally. The mechanists,are obsessed with making machinery such as mechanical eyes you must get past (often but not always, these can be turned off, or blown up with a fire arrow). The keepers are the peaceful guardians of knowledge, and some of Garret's only allies (they come to him for help in several missions and are an important factor in this game). the policepatrol the city, are often less wary then the guards, and are numerous, when you are moving about the city, they are normal flatfoots but corrupt at the top, and you get to find this out in a fun mission when you break into the police station ("framed"). The Pagans are a kind of scruffy fringe group no one likes, but have some overlap into other groups and serve to provide access to their weird otherworldy level in "Trail of Blood". This game still stands the test of time, even today in 2015, and is unlike any other. Thief Gold and "T2 Metal Age" are the only games in the series I replay - the last two (T3 and the reboot) have lost completely the world of Garret; so perhaps it's impossible to recapture the feel after the first two. So if I'd never played the last two i wouldn't feel i'd missed anything. You will either love this game, or not, but if it sounds the least interesting to you please do yourself a favor and try it out. One of the few 5 star choices I agree with.
