Rating: 
Summary: One of the most lauded RPG games ever.
Review: After earning several Best (RP) Game awards in the past, this particular RPG series is still doing relatively well. At least it may be considered a big classic in the genre of fantasy CRPG. I don't need to rehash what others have said in greater detail concerning the quality of game play (not merely dungeon-hacking), but I will point out that ALL of the Baldur's Gate games (Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal) work in Windows XP. Due to the complexity of the software (e.g. the original Baldur's Gate is 6 cd-roms, if I recall correctly), a number of other factors may render the game unplayable. I have all the BG games installed on my Windows XP machine just fine. Recommended: Patch the XP OS (SP1a minimum), make sure you have the latest game patches, check your DirectX, and so forth.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite computer game!
Review: This game is, without a doubt my favorite role playing game that I have played on a computer. I even think I like it more than the various and sundry Final Fantasy games I have played recently. Granted, those games have better stories and more detailed characters but there is something about Baldur's Gate that sets it apart and ahead of the competition, for me anyway. I think that it would have to be the ability to shape your won character. In a lot of console RPG's you seem to have very little control of your character. You only seem to be watching a movie that you happen to control and you sometimes don't seem to have much choice in the outcome, but this game allows you to choose many different paths and make many choices, some good, some evil. My favorite part of this game is building relationships with the non player characters that travel with you. Not to mention all the various side quests that are in the game. Each character class has different quests that are unique to each. For example the warrior has an opportunity to inherit a keep and protect it from bandits and the wizard can inherit a tower and train apprentice wizards in the magic arts and then have them create magic items for him. Because of these many sidequests this game has much replay value. And that's without the expansion pack. The throne of Bhaal adds another level to the gameplay. I must confess that I still haven't beaten the expansion pack but I have gotten far enough to know there are many plot twists. Another cool addition that wasn't in the first Baldur's gate is the ability for your character to fight with two weapons at the same time. In conclusion, this game is probably the best thing you could buy if you like old school rpgs. However, be prepared to save often. Like the first Baldur's gate this game is incredibly hard but that makes it all the more satisfying when you finally beat it.
Rating:
Summary: Great game
Review: This game is huge, and can take a really long time to complete...but that is a good thing. I don't get to play very often, and I found the newer journal system to be much more useful than in the first Baldur's Gate.
Rating:
Summary: The Best RPG EVER on the PC, Play It Before It's Too Late
Review: Have you ever pulled out one of those old games that you remember as a classic and while YOU can still fully enjoy the game, OTHER gamers that have become accustomed to the current standard for graphics and production value have no idea how great the game is they're playing? Luckily, this doesn't apply to Baldur's Gate 2 yet. It still has comparable graphics and the story, voice acting and brilliant playing engine still make it better than any RPG on the market right now but that won't hold for long. If you've never had a chance to play this classic RPG, grab it now before it's too late! I've played RPG's since the days of the early Ultima games and Baldur's Gate 2 is probably the best one I've ever played. Now, you do need to be familiar with Dungeons & Dragons. So if you don't know how the classic D&D system works, you may not find Baldur's Gate 2 as appealing as I did. It also uses the older D&D ruleset which is good or bad depending on which one you prefer. Ever since playing (and replaying) this title, in my mind it has set the bar for RPG's and I compare all RPG's since to Baldur's Gate 2. The expansion isn't as great as the game itself but you can't go wrong buying the collection edition which includes both. Also, if you plan on playing the first Baldur's Gate, I'd recommend you play it first because it begins the story that concludes in this game. But you don't need to play the first game to understand what is going on in the sequel because it feels like it's own story. Baldur's Gate 2: The Collection is cheaper than current titles and a better play. If you're and RPG fan that hasn't tried this game, buy it now, you'll thank me later.
Rating:
Summary: Three years after buying it I STILL love this game!
Review: Let's face it...most computer games you buy will present an interesting novelty for MAYBE a couple months at most before you get bored and retire it to the shelf or sell it used to someone else. Not so with this great game!! It's still novel even after owning it several years! I can't think of any other game that has been on the market this long and still sells in software stores today for over $10. And for great reason! There are so many ways to play this game that even after three years of trying I STILL haven't explored every facet and possibility! When this game was released in 2000 I wrote it off as a bit too expensive and complex for my taste. The following year the price had dropped slightly and I was itching for a new game, so after reading all the great reviews, I bought it. Wow! I couldn't believe the combination of depth, entertainment value, variety, and graphics a single game could produce! I can absolutely GUARANTEE that anyone who likes role-playing will love this game. While you only start with a single character, you pick up other NPCs along the way, each one with their own unique personality, race, goals and behavior pattern, splendidly illustrated by voice-over sounds, dialog, and portraits. Just a few examples...there's Minsc, the bald and brusque ranger who takes all his best advice from a small space hamster Boo, and loves to give any evil a "good butt-kicking!" Viconia, a seductive, almost liquidic evil dark elf (aka drow) who thrives on subtle innuendo and lust for power. And Imoen, the sweet, the innocent, slightly naive but ever-supportive mage who has stood by your side as a sister since childhood. There are a slew of other characters just as interesting, some you can take with you, some to provide you with quest clues, and some who only want to kill you. And you can even romance some of the party characters based on your dialog choices. If you play a male, you can even go so far as to get one of the female characters pregnant! (I won't give away which one). The many possible permutations of the game let your quests and sub-quests vary greatly, depending on factors such as who you have in your party, your alignment, your ability scores, your class of choice, who you might choose to romance, and in some cases even the items you carry. Change any one or more of these and you are presented with different plot lines and conversation choices for your many quests. But one thing in common with ALL plot lines is that none are boring, and many will make you laugh. In repeat play, I saved every 2 minutes just to explore the different possible quest and dialog paths. I think I've played this game about 60 times now, and I'm STILL happily exploring it. Another pleasant thing about this game, if you are an advanced computer hacker, is that it is relatively easy to modify...which, naturally, has produced PLENTY of unofficial expansions and modifications available on the web, providing you with even more ways to play (my personal favorite is a modification called "The Darkest Day", which you can easily pick up from any web search engine). In a nutshell...I can't think of a better PC game investment than this one in terms of playing time, interest, entertainment, humor, and modifiability, than to buy BG2. Still going strong 4 years after release!
Rating:
Summary: The mother of all computer RPGs
Review: The Baldur's Gate franchise is the most popular single-player RPG series out there for good reasons, even though it's been a few years since its release. While more recent Black Isle games, notably Icewind Dale II, have vastly improved graphics and interface and others like Neverwinter Nights have changed the playing field entirely, BGII stands out for its tremendous scope and exceptional depth. BGII's complexity, intertwining subplots and host of myriad characters are enough to constitute a novel, one which you get to shape and play out instead of merely reading. To me that's the essence of RPG that few others have been able to capture. Reinforcing this feeling, at many points in the game you must make decisions that have far-reaching consequences. Furthermore, you can also complete many quests using the good or evil approach. You may decide how to proceed based on whether you want to be good or evil; there are non-player characters (NPCs) of both alignments ready to assist you. BGII's strongest asset is its quests. While some quests are short and easily completed, most are substantial, highly interesting, and many engender their own sub-quests. For instance, one quest requires you to infiltrate a thieves guild suspected of treason; to gain their trust, you must finish several tasks for them; after you gather evidence of their treason, you're asked to go back and eliminate the guild leader; if you're successful, you then have the option of becoming the new leader and manage your own guild. It's possible to finish the game doing only the minimum handful of quests, but you'd be missing a big part of the game. Similarly, it's almost impossible to complete all quests in one run, because the quests you get depend on the decisions you make. For instance, you can side either with the thieves' guild or the rival vampires' guild, each of which comes with its own storyline and quests. Most of the quests are initiated at the beginning of the game in Athkatla. Subsequently, quests become smaller and more linear. Characters are tightly intertwined with quests. Since you start off with only one player, you should add additional characters to your party. Characters range from elven cleric/wizard to human ranger/stalker. Some are carry-overs from BG1. Some are found only if you accept certain quests, and some come with their own quests. You can interact with virtually any character in the game. Each character has his/her own history, alignment, and personality. From time to time, characters in your party will initiate dialogues with you and with one another, most with some amount of actual voice dialogue. Some interactions are quite funny; I've chuckled many times with Minsc and Jan in my party. One feature that I suspect to be very popular is romance with characters in your party. If you meet certain conditions, a male player can romance with one of three female NPCs and a female player can romance with one male NPC. Romance are simply additional dialogues that you go through during lulls between battles. They don't add significantly to the plot, but they're an extra dimension that adults may appreciate. A new feature in BGII is the "stronghold". The stronghold you get depends on your class. For instance, the fighter stronghold is a keep outside of Athkatla, while the thieves stronghold is a guild headquarter in the Docks district. Strongholds are gained after you complete a certain quest; they generate gold for your coffers and come with their own mini-quests at intervals. They're not essential to the story, but they add immensely to the illusion of role-playing. Another great new feature is familiars, small pet-like creatures that follow you and obey your orders. There are many tricks you can do with familiars, but mostly they're just cool to have. If you haven't played BG1, the premise is that you're the illegitimate child of Bhaal, the God of Murder. After you defeated your nemesis at the end of BG1, your party was ambushed and taken prisoner. You wake up in a dark dungeon and find yourself tortured and apparently experimented upon by an unknown wizard. The game begins as the dungeon are invaded by hooded assailants and you are released. Now you must fight your way out of the dungeons and discover the identity of your captor and thwart his nefarious plan. You will explore the vast city Athkatla as well as travel to many exotic destinations such as an extra-planar prison, an underwater Sahuagin city, the Underdark, the elven city Suldanessellar, even the Nine Hells! There are innumerable dungeons and ruins along the way for your to explore. If any game is able to truly capture the dungeon exploring feel of D&D, this is it! You'll encounter a virtual encyclopedic list of monsters, including golems, vampires, liches, beholders, mind-flayers, werewolves, demons, and dragons. Some are immensely powerful and require much tactical planning on your part. Mastering spells and understanding their effects and limitations are a must. This is a hard task as there are 300 spells of all types in the game. Enemy spellcasters have powerful magical protections that make them virtually invincible. However, every protection spell has some form of counter. To successfully attack them, you must use the appropriate counter-spells to weaken their defense. Game play is fast and furious. Battles are not as large as those in IWD2 and are more oriented toward magical duelling, which is equally if not more fun. The sprite graphics and animations are unspectacular by modern standards, but they are no longer noticeable once you become immersed in the game. Background graphics is gorgeous eye-candy, however, particularly the Sahuagin city, the Underdark, and Suldanessellar. The soundtrack and voice-over work are superb. BGII has very high-replay value thanks to its breadth and richness. If you like RPG games, this one is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: Throne of Excellence
Review: The combined talents of Bioware and Black Isle Studios have done it again. The Throne of Bhaal expansion (which hardly feels like an expansion) brings many more entertaining hours of BG gameplay to the already spectacular product of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. If you are considering of buying the Throne of Bhaal expansion, you probably already enjoy Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn immensely. And if that is the case, I highly recommend this product for any BG fan. There are three whole new chapters added to the game's story to bring a wondrous conclusion the Bhaalspawn saga, as well as a large dungeon known as Watcher's Keep that can be accessed at any time. I found every new area with all the high-level foes very challenging. The voices, sound and music were top-notch. The graphics aren't very different from what you have seen in the original BGII, but they still strike me as being richly detailed and beautiful to behold. I did not find this expansion short one bit. (It is an expansion after all, not an entirely new game) The price for this product was very fair considering all the many hours I spent returning to the Sword Coast and battling enemies with god-like power. And as you finish the expansion and watch as the Bhaalspawn Saga comes to a close, you reflect back on the simple beginnings in Candlekeep and all the journeys and adventures that took you to this point. If you've been a fan of the Baldur's Gate games from the beginning, it'll be a sad but satisfying experience to see it end. My hats off you to hardworking folks at Bioware and Black Isle Studios... There are few games out there that I love as much as this series. Lets hope you guys continue to release quality products that raise the expectations of RPGs for years to come. "Wherever evil treads, Minsc treads louder!!"
Rating: 
Summary: Better games on the way
Review: I waited and waited and WAITED for this game, and yes, I did get some enjoyment out of it. The graphics are beautiful, and the quests/encounters are generally top-notch. But there are quite a few drawbacks... 1. The characters move slowly and constantly bump into each other/go the wrong way. Compared to Diablo II, this is incredibly frustrating! Yes, you can jiggle with the AI, and I encourage it, and yes, you can pick up boots of speed, but it's a big problem with all the terrain you have to explore. 2. For my taste, there's too much hokey humor. A stuttering, chicken-out fighter? And one who loves his "space hamster?" Come on. A little bit goes a long way. 3. It's based on 2nd Ed rules. If you're unhappy with the new system, by all means, go for it. I much prefer the sleek and adaptable new system. Also, why settle for BG or BG2 when Neverwinter Nights is on the way, based on 3rd Ed? And Diablo II (already available) and its expansion, which use their own nicely-tuned system? Lastly, developers, let's get those Mac/Linux ports out faster next time, eh?
Rating:
Summary: Baldur's Gate II: Outstanding and Impressive
Review: This game is an absolute godsend. As stated in the first review I ever did on Amazon, I was not a fan of the role playing genre before this series came along. Since then, it has been a marriage made in heaven. Of course, my better half does not appreciate the time I spend with this series of games. Warning: Could Lead To Divorce!!! In BGII you are a descendant of the god Bhaal. This leads to your kidnapping and torture at the hands of Irenicus. The story develops from this premises. You will find many positives to this game including: 1) Partial use of AD&D 3rd edition rules. 2) Inclusion of kits for the main classes of characters which leads to specialization 3) The ability to import your character from BGI 4) Massively improved graphics 5) Inclusion of Monk, Sorcerer and Barbarian classes 6) 200+ hours of game play 7) Romantic involvement with some of the other characters (Aerie, Viconia, Jaheira and for female player characters, Anomen) 8) Interface is extremely easy to use 9) Inclusion of characters from BGI such as Imoen, Minsc and Jaheira 10) Ability to gain a stronghold with specialty quests from that stronghold (I have used the fighter stronghold and the mage stronghold so far, but there are also strongholds for a Paladin, Ranger, Druid, Cleric, Theif, and Bard, each with special quests) 11) A lot of replayability as there are so many different character classes to explore. 12) High experience point cap which allows for example, a mage to use and memorize up to 8th level spells. 13) Multitudes of magical items including Vorpal and Holy Avenger blades, Ring of Wizardry, Armor forged from the scales of Dragons you kill, Bag of Holding and other items that can be forged from items that are found across the quest. 13) High level legendary monsters. This game is an absolute must have for the RPG fan. It beats Diablo II hands down. Be prepared to think as there are many options open to the character and each choice can lead to unforseen consequences. Be prepared to fight as you are bound to run across a legendary creature or two. Be prepared to romance with one of the aforementioned characters. Be prepared to eat at your computer. By the way, what exactly is sleep? This is THE BEST RPG on the market!!!
Rating:
Summary: Baldur's Gate, JUST GREAT!
Review: Well, where to start. Well for starters if you read my review on Diablo 2, it stated how I would log on each day to their server just to get my fix. No longer. The day I bought Baldur's Gate 2 was the last day I logged in to Diablo. It is just that ... good! Baldur's Gate 2 is an R.P.G. that many of us would be familiar with (Icewind Dale, Planescape:Torment). I've started the game again numerous times trying out all the different character options, and believe me there are many. Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Clerics, Druids, Thieves, Bards and Mages each have 3 styles to choose from (example: The thief class has:- Assassin-poisonous dagger & +'s in cmbt, Bounty Hunter-special trap setting, and Swashbuckler-Cmbt excellent.) Then there are the three new classes Monk, Sorceror and Barbarian. So it is actually really good fun to play a single-classed character as opposed to the original. Then into the game you start of as roughly level 7, depending on your class choice, which makes it a hell of a lot more fun as you are already quite capable opponents. Old characters are reprised, you'll encounter three at the beggining, and lets just say most of the wackier ones return for a bit more fun. I recommend playing Baldur's Gate 1 first if you haven't already done so, as the story continues on from after completion of it. There are also a few references to the other Black isle/Bioware games such as Torment, where a Tiefling has entered a portal into your plane, and you must save him. All this makes up for a hell of a game, enjoy! Poem: Baldur's Gate 2, it's for you Especially for anyone who's ever played a Black Isle game It'll work on as low as a P2, 233 You'll play more than 100 hours, this poem is lame.
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