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Baldur's Gate II is, quite simply, the greatest role playing computer game in history. That's a subjective statement, of course, but in my opinion no other game comes close to the amazing quality of Baldur's Gate II, particularly if you include the expansion set, Throne of Bhaal. I give the game a flat 10 out of 10.

First, a small note on the impact the game has had on me, personally. BG2, as I call it, was the first serious computer game I ever purchased, and that was some 9 or 10 years ago; while of course I didn't play the game ever since, I have only just recently completed the entire saga- from the start of Shadows of Amn to the finale of Throne of Bhaal. This should indicate how much playing time the game includes. I enjoyed the game so much I frequently use the username "bg2soatob" (Baldur's Gate II, Shadows Of Amn, Throne of Bhaal) on the internet. I use some of the phrases in the game in normal life and the music of the game is the most memorable I have ever heard in a computer game.

Now, to the content of the game:

The graphics of the game are the only factor that might turn away modern players; it is two dimensional and one cannot manipulate the point of view in any way. However, the attention paid to detail in the game is magnificent, and so despite the old-fashioned engine the game is a pleasure to view. The spell effects and such are very well crafted, particularly in TOB.

The gameplay in the game is, without doubt, its best feature. The one disadvantage is the cluttered interface; the screen is surrounded on three sides by bars that somewhat limit the view, but one gets used to this and it is not a major problem. The group of adventurers includes six members, the main character and five henchman. The latter are usually NPCs picked up during the game, but it is possible to use the multiplayer function to create all six members, which sacrifices the more interesting dialogue and inter-charcater relations for maximizing the power of the party. The game allows complete control over the henchman, and so there is no major difference between them and the main character apart from plot matters. This translates into a wonderful teamwork mechanism; in battles, the player can maneuver the characters around and have them complement each others abilities, enabling truly amazing results in combat. The game is based on second edition D&D (AD&D), but it adds the variety of "kits" inside classes, which gives great diversity to the game. Kits are sub-classes which

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