"Greatest role-playing game of all time."

Intro- Let me start by saying that this game is worth your time, effort, and money to find and buy. This game is my personal favorite RPG of all time (Next to Elder Scrolls III). I first played this game not long after it came out and even at the age of nine years I enjoyed this rpg.

Gameplay- 10/10. I wouldn't give this game an overall score of 10/10 if the game's Gameplay wasn't outstanding. This was probably the first game I played where I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. While playing you have third-person bird's eye view from above giving you a sense of the character's surroundings. In a good fantasy role-playing game there is plenty of monsters/enemies to fight, NPC's to meet, and places to explore. This game has everything and much much more. This game has over 50 areas to explore, 199 different characters (NPC's and monsters), 59 different weapons, 54 differenct pieces of armor and hundreds of other various items, like books, potions, and scrolls (That doesn't include the expansion pack). The difficulty can be adjusted, but the default setting is just right. When a game's difficulty is challenging, but not nearing impossibility, it is already a fairly good game, no matter the genre or type. I think many game designers struggle with making a game with just the right difficulty.

Story- 10/10. I'm not just giving all these subjects 10s, the game in my opinion has earned them. The story line alone is a masterpiece. When this great story was put into a computer game that had outstanding gameplay, a truly divine game emerged in result. I won't spoil the storyline at all, but I can tell you that in my opinion it has a better storyline than any other RPG I've ever played. The story is part of why this game can be very fun. Since the story and gameplay are the most important parts of an RPG, this game is great already no matter the graphics or sound.

Graphics- 9/10. For the game's time, its graphics are very good. They are what should be expected for its time. The graphics shouldn't be a problem or bother anybody, because whats graphics compared with how fun the game is? I mean, who pays attention to the graphics when they're having a blast playing the game? My point is that the game's graphics don't bring the gameplay down in any way.

Sound- 10/10. The sound effects couldn't be better and the soundtrack is another great part of this game. Each monster has its own noise, such as a growl, yelp, or voice The music sets the mood and setting of the area and/or situation you are in. The game has a variety of voices you can choose from when creating a character. There is a different voice for every NPC too.

Play Time/Replayability- 10/10. This game can be very addicting, which is a good thing in a game. You'll put at least 50 hours into this game before finishing it the first time. After finishing it you'll want to beat the game again and again, trying it out with different characters and different strategies to beat it again and again.

Final Recommendation- Simply put, this is the greatest RPG I've ever played. Morrowind comes close, but this game is near perfect in every way, its flaws minor and few. Like I said in the intro, this game is worth your mere 20 dollars and the time it takes you to find this game, if your an RPG fan. I recommend the expansion also. If your planning on buying it, just buy the whole set. I hope this review helped you decide to buy it, if you were debating on whether or not to get it. The second one in the series is also one of my favorite games to this day. (V. 1.2: July 21st, 2008)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/08

Game Release: Baldur's Gate (US, 11/30/98)