After many years of listening to people talk online about the greatness that is Baldur's Gate, and gaming in particular, I finally decided to pick one up. I had been warned that they are surprisingly addictive, but at 42, and having been game-free since the first Atari came out in the 80s (Think Space Invaders), I was pretty sure I'd only find it mildly interesting.

Oh, was I wrong. Once I had the basics understood, I found myself spending more and more of my free time playing the game. When I'm not playing, I'm puzzling out how to retake some building/tomb/dungeon that I've not yet been able to best. Addictive isn't quite the right word. It's rewritten my basic mental programming. I adore the game!

I started with the Collection -- essentially Baldur's Gate 2. And I've been told that BG1 is better. But I'm not complaining.

If you're like me, and have only played some of the earlier computer games -- there is no comparison. BG is an entire world to explore -- maps and seemingly endless terrain. There's always something you missed, more to explore. And I expect that I'll be wandering the landscape for many months to come.

Baldur's Gate 2: Ultimate Collection (Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal)
If you start to play this you'll soon see that the above statement is true. Following the ruleset of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (version 2.0), this game is highly addictive and allows for a great deal of customization (within reason) of your character and the party that follows you on your quest to learn more about yourself. This is not a chessy storyline in any way as there is good reason to "search for answers". I'll not give it away but if you haven't played the first it could blow your mind. The fact that this game comes with the expansion for it and costs not much more if not the same as just the game itself this is a very good deal. The only flaw is that its multiplayer community doesn't exist anymore as most people have added modifications to their own copy so be forewarned, unless other people you know in real life have this game, don't get it for it being multiplayer.

If you have not played this title and are a D&D fan, or even just an RPG fan, I would highly recommend adding this title to your collection. I purchased this game for around $[...] for the entire game WITH the expansion. Even though the graphics are starting to show some age, there is far more to this game to make it a wonderful experience overall and for that kind of price you really shouldn't have to think twice about it. This game is huge, has top notch sound and a deep immersive story. There is easily a few hundred hours of gameplay here for most people, after all this is, and probably always will be, one of the largest games ever developed by Bioware. If you have ever played Baldur's Gate 1, you will notice a lot of improvements in almost every aspect and it supports importing characters from BG1. However, it isn't in any way nessesary to have played BG1. The only regret I have with purchasing this game, is that I didn't do it years ago, but either way im sure I will be ejoying this game for a long time to come. Not only does this game have a lot of replay value, but there is also still a large online community for it, and a lot of mods and addins. Overall, this is one game that I am glad, I didn't let slip past me.

Yes, the graphics are dated. Yes, the style isn't as fancy as today's over-the-top crpgs. But the gameplay in Baldur's Gate II is second to none. And in the end, the gameplay is what makes a game fun. This is the kind of game where you'll suddenly discover that it's 3 o'clock in the morning, and you've been playing for seven hours straight (or worse). The storyline is awesome, the NPC's are incredibly well done, and the atmosphere is so superb, you almost feel like your living through the main character's trials.

If you're new to computer gaming, and you're curious about some of the older classics ... then START RIGHT HERE. This is the game. In addition, the Throne of Bhall expansion pack complements the main game perfectly. If you're trying to decide whether to purchase this one ... . decide no longer. Get it! I promise you won't regret it.

ok forget what you hear people say about the graphics if you call these dated then you might as well never look at a drawing or peice of art work again. as ALL the graphics were hand drawn before being implemented into the game engine sure they are not the lastest 3d graphics , but to this day I would say they are still very very impressive graphics.
aside from graphics this si one of teh best playing games of all time with over 200+ hours of things to do , and a well developed story that developed the characters better than any modern game has to date. i don't think FF even holds a candle to this game series. and teh second game is the best in the series. on thing this game offers that just lacks intodays RPG's is romances, in this game the romances are far better developed and involving than any other game i ahve ever seen. the opnly down side is they only offer one romance character for girl players whil ethey offer about 3-4 girls for guy players . other than taht all the romances are well done. one other thign this game has done better than any sucessors is it offers the most pen adn paper like dnd experience avaible with up to 6 characters that can be in your party at once, and over 15 availble characters to meet and add to your 6 man party the game really get's you into the story and gets you to feeling for teh cahrs like no other game i have played.
las but not least the game as a realatively easy to navigayte interface compared to other rpg's of it's time, and it's itner face influenced many modern rpg's such as neverwinter nights and the Temple of elemental evil. if youc ang et this game do so you wont be disapointed especially fi youa re a fan of dnd based rpg's this is one of the best !

Lets start off by saying that I'm NOT a fan of computer games. Usually that is. Before I played Baldurs Gate I had never really been into anything other than nintendo and that was when I was 10. Then one day I saw a friend of mine playing BG at his house and I did show a tiny bit of interest because he told me it had this "middle ages" feel to it. Then I thought nothing of it. But one day he came to my house with the game and literally forced me to install it on my own computer and I did, and well, a few days later I had stopped calling my friends and stopped going out on weekends. This was just a few weeks before BG:2 Shadows of Amns came out and my boyfriend bought it for me almost immediatly.

Well, as much as I had loved BG and let my life revolve around it, the fact was that SoA had even more of an effect on my life. When I started playing it I dropped out of school, talked about nothing else and well, turned into this weird recluse that no-one wanted to be around anyway. But it was worth it! SoA gave me the best time of my life, lol. I have a collage degree now but it took me longer to get it thanks to BG. And I'm fine with that. SoA is without a doubt the best game of all time. It is magical. I don't care about graphics and such stuff, all I care about is the storyline and the charachter and BG is definitly better than any book you could possibly read (and I've read thousands so I know what I'm saying here). Since I finished it I have played most of the Black Isle games too and I love them all but this one is the best - I just bought BG and SoA again since I was always lending mine (trying to get people to play them, and some just didn't want to give them back) and I guess after 8 years it will be wonderful to live this adventure again!

This was the LONGEST the MOST FUN game I have ever played! And, mind you, I am not an easy customer (feel free to browse through my reviews, you will see what I mean...)

The original BG series was excellent in all of storyline, gameplay, music and stability. Now, nowadays, sequels usually mean a graphically-improved expansion (at best). BG2 is a rare exception of the sequel clearly SURPASSING the original. And in the case of such great original, this means a lot!

Words fail to describe the perfect harmony of brilliant ideas, emerging story-line and detailed coding that makes this game an unsurpassable classic! This COLLECTION contains all the sequels, patched with the latest fixes. Do not let the slightly outdated graphics discourage you. They were cutting edge only some years ago - and you will be able to unleash their full potential even on mid-range PCs!

I have yet to meet anyone who has played it and not raved about it! Hard-core D&D funs will find the character building, fighting checks and balances and overall experience very close to the actual pen-&-paper games.
Casual computer gamers will notice none of the tedious stuff of other cRPGs as the gameplay runs smooth and beautifully.
You even have the choice to turn it into either a turn-based or an action game by tweaking the auto-pause options! I am telling you: this is how computers games should be!

You will let yourself get lost in the deep dungeons of the labyrinthic story; you will be laughing out loud to the humorous dialog; you will be surprised as to who is a double and triple-agent.
There is an evil beyond imagining unleashed and only you with your party can stand in its way.
Party members offer a multitude of unpredictable balancing points and diverging story-lines of their own: side quests, conflicts and love affairs enrich the story in so many original ways!

An unsurpassed classic!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

I played Balder's Gate 2 an eon ago. Worried that MS Vista was going to make my gaming obsolete, I bought up a bunch of older RPG games to play on my XP system, and also, I'd never played the BG2 expansion game, which comes with. I was playing Neverwinter Nights 2 and Oblivion, but I kept coming back to BG2, and I'm going to play it through again. Five years later, it's still the best RPG for the solitary player ever made.

When this game first came out I played it non-stop for weeks on end. since then there have been many subsequent RPG games like dungeon siege, never winter nights 1 & 2 and a host of others. Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn , despite its 2D graphics, is still my favourite RPG game ever. Nothing since has been able to capture my imagination in quite the same way.
amazing!

I got this game after spending days and months playing Dark Alliance for the Playstation 2. Coming from that to this, the controls - especially for combat - are a lot more complicated in the computer game (oweing to the fact that you controlling up to six characters rather than one or two.) Other than my frustation with combat, I really enjoy the game - even though I'm getting killed non-stop...perhaps I'm doing something wrong.

Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal are hands down the greatest Medieval RPGs to date. Set in the "Forgotten Realms" world and following AD&D game rules, it features an engaging storyline that will offer you all of the entertainment and adventure that you could possibly crave. Its no surprise that these two games won Best RPG of 2001. The Interface is easy to learn and multiple endings make for great replay value.

If you are a fan of RPGs, Medieval anything or are just looking for a fun PC game, this is a must-have.

This is a great fantasy RPG but when rdering a game it would be NICE if there was an instruction manual even if it is a crappy photocopied one.
had to spen a lot of time finding things out on my own. So if your going to order games form amazon make sure you find out if they include an instruction manual

...you were in the 'Nam during the late 1990s or else you only recently got into computer RPGs. Seriously... this is the computer RPG to end all computer RPGs. Fallout and Fallout 2 were cool but you can only control one guy at a time: cool for its time but no so great now. Planescape: Torment is probably an even better game in terms of the characters and the story, but it's kind of weird and, well, the game engine is based on this one. That leaves this guy as #1.

It's pretty standard Dungeons and Dragons. What sets this apart from, say, Icewind Dale and up with next-generation RPGs like Jade Empire or Knights of the Old Republic is the way that each character has his/her own story. You'll find yourself engaging on all of those little side quests just to make your characters happy. To me, that's a good thing. Sadly, since this is an American RPG and not a Japanese one it lacks creepy androgynous characters and gigantic swords (there are big swords here, don't get me wrong, but they top out at about 6 feet in length rather than 20). Still, if you haven't played this yet - and I do not believe you when you say that - it's a great game.

I had this game a few years ago and was addicted to it.It is set in the forgotten Real universe. I bought a new copy after my old one got lost in a move. You don't really need to have played baldur's gate 1 to understand it. The graphics could be best described as a little less i mpressive than diablo 2. All the spell effects are great, your conversations with your party members are some of the best on any RPG i have ever played. As long as you can get past the dated graphics you'll find meaningful character relationships, a great story, and some of the best hack n slash action out of any game ever made.

I'm very picky when it comes to games, but I found this one to be one of the top RPGs I've ever played. While other games at the time were branching out to MMOs and hack n' slashes (see diablo 2 and neverwinter nights), Baldur's Gate went back to the roots of what a RPG is.

This game is based off dungeons and dragons role playing, turn by turn style, BUT it does not play like a turn by turn game. Battles are fluid, and unless you turn on the auto-pause feature, you probably won't realize that a turn has gone by. This is what makes this game a successful adaption of pen and paper RPGS in the computer world.

Now be aware, this game is not for everyone. If you are looking for an online game, this game is definately not what you should buy. BG has online capablities, but from my experience it is incredibly lacking. Also, this game is not a hack and slash type game. You can't just walk around killing everything in sight, there is a storyline to follow(Well a couple variations of a storyline). If you're looking for a straight up hack and slash game, go buy Guildwars.

Let me list everything in a pro and con list, since I know most people won't bother to read the actual review.

Pros
-Strong Storyline
-Low system requirements
-Several different class types (including dual class and multi class and even sub class)
-Several Different races, each with their own advantages
-The ability to pick up NPC's into your party OR create a party of 6 custom characters if you go through the TCP/IP mode or multiplayer mode.
-Several different quests and side quests, with rewards that vary depending on your class.
-A wide array of weapons
-Hundreds and hundreds of spells
-Fluid game play that appeals to more than just DnD nerds.

Cons
-Very weak multiplayer
-Limited replayablity for most people.
-A bit easy (but at the same time you are able to set your own difficulty)
-Old Graphics
-As with most RPGs, this game is a little slow at first.


over all this is a very fun game which I do recommend and it is a shame this game did not get more recognition

I had so much fun playing this game. It was hard to go to bed many nights because I wanted to accomplish one more task. The game is a lot different that the Playstation version... much slower and more complicated to maneuver the people, especially during battles. It is nice to be able to save your game so quickly and not lose a lot of progress after someone kills you.

Unless you have 40 free hours during the next two weeks I wouldn't buy this game. If you do - have fun!

This game is so much fun. It's much more free and not totally channeled into the storyline as Icewinddale is. You have to use caution while playing because you can encounter dragons and liches early on in the game when there is little chance you can beat them. Choose your quests wisely and save often.

Wonderful! Really great story lines & adventures. I couldn't wait to get the next adventure, Neverwinter Nights.

Like RPGs? Computer not quite up to recent standards? You shouldn't miss this, provided you don't mind eating up a few weeks (at least) of playing time. An excellent game- especially as far as role-playing games go. It's a little more action based, in the vein of the Diablo series, but with a decent plotline. And very customizable.

As others have said, the graphics are dated but the storyline and structure are not.

A few other reviewers stated that there was no manual and no reference card included in this collection IN PAPER FORMAT. They do, however, exist as PDF files in the "BG2 Manual" folder of disk #1. I prefer the printed manuals as well, but for the game plus expansion and bonus disk I paid only $13.77, including shipping that took 3 days. In other words, I can live without the printed manual when everything else works out in my favour.

I purchased from "playongames-com" from within Amazon's site, first time purchase from them. Well boxed, fast delivery, and arrived in an original box (still sealed). What deal.

Very playable and fairly easy to learn; perhaps a little constrained in what you can do, but a nice balance of characters and styles. The graphics are a dated but the action is good and the story line -- as far as I have gotten -- is interesting.

I remember playing the original Baldur's Gate many years ago and loving it. Since then, technology has obviously advanced a lot, and I have enjoyed playing many of the modern games. However, none of today's games seem to have the same charm as Baldur's Gate. So, when I decided to purchase Baldur's Gate 2, I somehow knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

I'll just list what I feel are the pros and cons...

PROS:
- It has an intricate plot that will keep you entertained. In addition to the main quests, there are tons of sub-quests to keep you busy. A self-updating journal keeps all your quest information organized.
- You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to arranging your party and creating your own characters. There are plenty of unique characters you can recruit and you can dismiss party members at anytime. You can import images for your own personal character portrait.
- The amount of items (weapons, armor, potions, scrolls/spells, gems, etc.) is incredible. You'll certainly never be bored with this aspect of the game. The item illustrations are very beautiful and detailed. The item descriptions are also interesting, and usually little stories within themselves.
- The game scenery is nicely intricate. I really enjoyed the designs of the towns/buildings and landscapes. The character portraits and brief cut scenes are also well done.
- LOTS of different monsters/creatures to battle. This challenges you to come up with different fighting strategies, because the creatures have different weaknesses.
- The soundtrack is pleasant.
- The dialogue is always clever and often amusing.
- Personally, I feel you have more control over the characters and storyline in this game, than in others. You can plan and initiate your attacks in pause mode, you can control the actions of up to 6 party members, and you always have several dialogue response options.

CONS:
- Well, obviously, the graphics are dated. However, that doesn't make it any less fun or beautiful. I've enjoyed Baldur's Gate more than some of the most graphically advanced games out there. It is, after all, a fantasy game, and I personally believe that some things should be left up to the imagination of the player.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have!

Baldur's Gate II and its expansion pack may collectively form the best game that was ever created. Sure, the graphics are not the greatest. Sure, antiquated 2nd edition rules are used. Sure, some of the puzzles are corny. Sure, there are some annoying bugs. The game is not flawless, but it is infinitely replayable and almost as addicting. I don't know what it was in this game, but the moment that I beat it the first time around, I was immediately tempted to start another game with a radically different party and with radically different objectives in mind. Through this review I will try to identify what it is in the game that makes it so... um... good!

The story line is good. Now, many a gamer will say that story matters in gaming just about as much as accordions matter while hunting. I will say that those unfortunate souls are wrong as a good story is often the most important aspect of the game. For example, look to Icewind Dale II. The storyline was lame and so was the game. The story follows shortly after the first Baldur's Gate game, in which you as a child of the Lord of Murder must choose which path to pursue. Ok, it might not sound that great from here, but you're a freaking God in this game, thus you can do a lot of things that are pretty great. The expansion pack focuses even more on your divine powers.

The game is hard (especially if you play on insane mode, and downloaded various tweaks that made the game more difficult, as I did), but not too hard. Some battles will have you stuck for a little bit, but fret not. You can always go and do something else and gain enough experience to make short work of a formerly impossible battle. This is probably the greatest aspect of the game. You don't have to do most things in order and can do them whenever you feel up to the task. You do not have to follow the straight and narrow path, but can instead follow any path which will get you to where you want to go. And if you don't want to go into an entire area, then often you will not even have to do this.

Now, I already spoke of this game's addictive properties, but let me stress the intensity of the addiction. Every night when I went to sleep at 4 AM (playing this game of course, in this way, the game is a lot like cocaine because time just stops mattering), I would think about when I would wake up to play the game again (typically around 8 AM). When my friends would come over to hang out I would be angry that I would have to open the doors to let them in. Many of them threatened to format my harddrive and remove the game. But, the most dangerous element of the game is this. This game was not even on my computer, but rather on the computer of my brother who lives in a different state than I do. I would be addicted to it for a few weeks, then would return and face terrible withdrawal in my own state.

Yeah, its that good. If you are the type who thinks that graphics are more important than game play and everything else that makes computer games good, then I am sure that there is something better for you out there, but for the rest, I suggest playing this game.

I've been a big fan of ADnD as my cousins, friends, and I have played it numerous times. I've wanted to play an ADnD computer game so my cousin recommended Baldu'rs Gate 2. At first, I had to get used to the functions and how to control things, but once I got the hang of it, it became very addiciting. Since, then, I've become a big fan of other ADnD comp games such as Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale. Great game, lots of fun, great story. Wish I played Baldur's Gate 1 before, but I'll play it sooner or later.

If you liked the old Ultima games you will really enjoy this game. While not as good as Ultima, the game is still excellent. My only complaint is not with the game but with Amazon.com. The game came without any manual or instructions. The game continually refers to the manual. The game is simply not complete without this manual. I will not buy another game from Amazon.com

I bought the Baldur's Gate 2 Ultimate Collection from Amazon for Christmas of 2005, and I've been nothing but pleased with the game itself. It certainly lived up to my expectations, having played the original Baldur's Gate many times since 2001. If you're interested in an engaging, party-based Dungeons and Dragons experience that will probably chew up at least 60 hours to go through once, I would highly recommend it.

Gameplay: Excellent. The only drawback I can mention is the opening sequence, which gets a little old after a few replays. The game is, of course, from 2000, so don't buy it expecting advanced 3-D graphics or fully-voiced dialogue. BG2 instead has beautifully rendered 2-D artwork, which in my opinion is the best of its class (and seldom seen in later games), and the majority of dialogue is purely textual. What voice acting there is, however, is quite good and often very funny.

The interpersonal dialogue among party members, including possible romantic relationships for the player, is one of the best parts of this game. How you act throughout the game, and what members you keep in your party, may affect how the other members act; some may even get fed up and leave forever if they do not like how things are going. The AI isn't perfect, of course, but for a game of this era it's solid and a definite improvement over the original Baldur's Gate.

Technical Issues: None, so far. I installed it on my old Compaq, running on a 350 mHz processor with 96 MB of RAM; the install went smoothly. The game runs fine on this system, which uses Wndows 98 Second Edition.

Packaging: The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was the utter lack of hard copy documentation for the game. Inside the box were six compact discs in paper slip cases: four for Baldur's Gate 2, one for the expansion game Throne of Bhaal, and one "bonus CD" with such things as conceptual artwork, item descriptions, and audio files. That was it; no manual, no reference card, not even installation instructions. There is a game manual and reference card on disc 1, both in PDF format. This was disappointing, especially after having purchased two separate copies of the original Baldur's Gate (one in 2001, one in 2003) each of which included thorough and helpful paperback manuals. I know that using on-disc documentation saves space and weight, but I just think it's somewhat inconvenient for the user. The lack of hard copy installation instructions was especially glaring; if you're not an experience computer user, you may not know where to start after purchasing this game.

All in all, though, I am very glad I purchased The Ultimate Collection, and I would definitely recommend it.

I just bought this game, the reviews here made it sound great. I am a huge never winter nights fan and after playing that game for a very long time I just couldn't get past the graphics. They are awful. I am sorry but if you are used the graphics of today's games then this game isn't for you. I can't tell you if the game itself is fun to play, I haven't played it. I just couldn't get past the graphics. Sorry bad review from me.

A sequel to the awesome Baldur's Gate...

I was addicted to this HARD CORE and could play it again and again. This game is excellent. One of the best I've ever played. You can travel with up to 5 companions making it a 6 party in all and with the HUGE modding community, well, as with Morrowind, this game is pretty much endless as well.

Even though it's an older game, it's probably the best for its time. No other game, not even Diablo II can top Baldur's Gate II for that year, no way! It was tops then and still is one of the best ever created.

More than just hack 'n slash here. You have a superb storyline where I tip my hat to the creators.

You start in a prison dungeon where your lil sis Imoen shows up, frees you. Then, you plan your escape and little by little, you seek and destroy the evil that so dared to mess with the Child of Bhaal!

For those with the gripes about the monsters being too powerful, well, you have to BUILD your character up ... try going as the Undead Hunter (no level drain) and give him a two-handed sword ... trust me, by levels 30, 40 and 50, he'll go through them like a hot knife through butter! Yes, you will be a GOD! :)

Any ways, SUPER GREAT game and worth every single penny...

FIVE STARS!

Lot of value for the money. The only issue is at higher levels it gets a bit hard to control all of the characters.

Baldur's Gate II (BG2) is a highly polished game. The designers have really put in special touches to make the gaming experience unique. Unfortunately, these special touches ultimately make the game tedious and unnatural.

** Minor Spoiler **

First, the good -
1. Good graphics. Not the cutting edge, but the graphics really brings out the medieval atmosphere.
2. Many, many weapons and spells. All unique. You will be trying new weapons throughout the game.
3. Unique classes, with their unique bonuses. You will really appreciate the difference between a monk and an archer.
4. Monsters are tuned and unique. Different monsters have different strengths and weaknesses, and require different kind of weapons/spells to kill.
5. NPCs will initiate dialogs. You don't have to go around looking for things to do, NPCs will come to you with their problems for you to solve. This gives the game a special twist.

The bad -
1. Monsters are too powerful. It's not that you cannot kill them, but many of them have annoying abilities (instant kill, mass confuse, level drain etc.), so it's either you kill them in 3 seconds, or they kill you. But remember monsters are highly unique, so you need the right kind of weapon to kill each of them. So either you are constantly switching weapons, or many times half of your party get the annoying "weapon ineffective" message.
2. Pre-memorization of spells. Because monsters can instantly kill you, you really need magic support. Unfortunately, the spells available to a mage are pre-determined the previous night. So either you have to guess right, or you won't have the proper spells to deal with specific monsters (Did I say many monsters have UNIQUE weaknesses). This is contrary to the exploring and adventure spirit of an RPG game.
3. NPCs initiate dialogs way too often. When you enter the Copper Coronet Inn, no less than four NPCs will approach you with their problems. That's four quests force-fed on you all at once. You either accept each quest on the spot, or reject it with an INSULT (no other alternative). Nifty. Your party members will frequently leave your party to sort out their personal issues, without warning (read: messed up). I find myself constantly halting my current quest just to hunt down run-away party members. It gets old very quickly.
4. Meaningless, unreasonable choice-making. Many times you will be faced with decisions that will change the outcome of the game. Supposedly this makes the game "non-linear." Unfortunately each choice has a right answer and a wrong answer, and choosing the wrong answer can often be detrimental. So it's up to you to guess the "right answer," or suffer reputation loss or worse.
5. At the end of the day, the game felt interminable because NPCs constantly interrupted my work by piling new errands onto me. And yes, it really felt like work.

BG2 really has LOTS of unique classes, unique weapons, unique spells and unique monsters. They are like good toys for you to play around with. Ultimately a role-playing game should be about exploration, adventure and problem-solving (with occasional trial-and-error when facing big bosses). It's not the constant save/load and "guess the right answer" that BG2 requires. You may find playing this game with a walkthrough more fulfilling than without.

I bought this game back when it came out, got rid of it when I got bored with it, then came back and bought it again. Needless to say, I won't be getting rid of it again. Baldur's Gate 2 has a very thoughtful storyline, some great customizeability, and some interesting challenges.

For games of its type I'd give it a full five stars, but I'm more a fan of multiplayer worlds where you actually interact with real people, and the storylines are never canned. So, compared to stuff like that, it's a 4 in my book.

My two cents, for what it's worth. :)

(im on my moms account im actually 14)

Ok i got this game along time ago, but the disk broke (second) so i ordered this and this game + expansion is a must have for rpg lovers. I can personally say from experience that i enjoy this game more than i do Neverwinter Nights wich i have aswell. Pick this game up as it is a must have.

I've played most of them, folks, and this one runs away with the gold, hands down. Perfect mix of strategy, roll playing and tons of action. Controlling 6 different characters is key. Can't wait for BGIII!

For any hardcore gamer, even mild gamer, this game is by far one of the most incredible games I have ever played. The story is one of the deepest I've ever encountered not to mention the countless hours of gameplay the game has to offer. Baldur's Gate 2 offers 80 hours of gameplay if you choose to play straight through, if you don't...the game amasses over 350 hours of gameplay not to mention the Throne of Bhaal expansion pack which adds another 85 hours. Truly an absolutely amazing game. It's a hard pick up and play, but if you give it patience and devotion you won't be unglued from your computer. Trust me on that one. A MUST PLAY!!

There were no instructions with this game. No Quick reference card, no game manual, just the disks. If you do not have the first game, Baldur's Gate you may have a hard time playing this one.