This game was perfect for me. I could play it alone, which was terrific since finding real time players is a chore in my intellect unladen area of the world. I could play it on-line with multiple characters run by other real people.
All of my role-playing experiences to date had been with a paper and pencil or board version of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (trademark TSR). And then I found BioWares version of The Forgotten Realms, Baldur's Gate. I was in love. I could, and have played Baldur's Gate for more than twenty four actual hours of time at once.
The game begins with a short biography of you as the main character. You have created the character using Dungeons and Dragons rules. You nurture and protect your character while experiencing the vicarious thrills of hacking and slashing combined with an extremely well thought out story line and a multitude of sub-plots and side adventures.
For game mechanics, this game has yet to find an equal in my eyes. I don't have to ensure that I am carrying enough food and water. I don't have to worry about taking time to go into the woods for personal business. Black Isle decided anyone with the intelligence to be an adventurer should have the intelligence to stock up on necessities before adventuring and would know enough not to use the various poisonous flora for toilet paper. This relieved a lot of the minutiae for which D&D, not to mention most role playing computer games, have become known in some circles without detracting from the flavor of the game.
For anyone who is an avid fantasy reader, as I am, to actually meet the characters of the books I had read; and interact with them was fantastic. I talked to Elminster the Sage and fought at the side of Drizzt Do'Urden. I have also met other characters who aren't in the books. Some I have had to chastise for their behavior and some have joined with me on my quest.
For a chance to allow your intellectual prowess to blossom through strategy and tactics, for a chance to allow for a period of time in your life that does not involve the hectic mayhem of the real world, and just for a chance to have hours and days of plain mind stimulating fun, I highly recommend BioWares Baldur's Gate.
I wrote this review on 19June2001 for another site, but retain copywrite on it. I have transferred my review to here with minor changes.
BALDURS GATE 4 IN 1 COLLECTION PC XP/VISTA DVD-ROM BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED DVD CASE Publisher: Interplay Platform: Windows xp/vista ESRB/Age: (T) Mat...More at eBay
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.