Most of us who've been gamers for a while are familiar with the history behind Troika, which was formed from key members of the Black Isle group that made the Fallout, among other talented individuals. With high hopes, we dug into Arcanum, and many of us found it slow to get going and visually unimpressive, although it was rewarding in the long run. Temple of Elemental Evil apparently suffered from being pushed out the door a wee bit early. Therefore, the anticipation for Bloodlines isn't nearly as high as it could have been, in an ideal world where every game went out the door polished to a high gloss. It's unfortunate, because Bloodlines is a true RPG that hearkens back to Fallout and its Baldur's Gate brethren, while providing the impressive visuals of Valve's Source engine. The story is rich, the world is deep, and the heart of the RPG pumps strongly in its veins.