Interactivity and Freedom
One of the most important aspects of a CRPG for me is how much freedom you have and how immersive the world is. It should tell you all that, despite of the bugs, Daggerfall is still one of my all time favorites. Arcanum shines in that respect: you can travel quite freely (although the land between the settlements is rather empty), and you could also play the game neglecting the storyline and just collecting herbs and making potions or hunting down critters. You can combine items to get new ones, you can buy and sell a lot of goods, and you can leave the main storyline without consequences - just pick it up later. Another thing I really liked is the fact that day and night really matter - and they way it does is different for different classes/races. Some characters are more skilled during the nighttime, others (you can choose this while creating your character) are handicapped when it gets dark.

Interaction with NPC's is depending on how they see you. Most will be neutral, but this may improve with your actions (if you help a town to get rid of bandits, for example) or with your charisma. Talking is done through multiple choice, and the choices depend on your reputation. Voice acting is fine and doesn't disturb you.

Gameplay really differs whether you are smart or dumb. Persuasion is a useful skill and with low charisma, people will be as rude as you are. Sometimes you'll find quests where you can talk people into something, although brute force could do the job as well. Remember, your actions have consequences, and if you are on a bloodthirsty rampage, people will react accordingly.

Movement is easy - just point and click. Items you can use are highlighted when the cursor moves on them. If you were comfortable with the controls in Baldur's Gate, you will have no problems here. There is even a waypoint system in the game, which will make crossing areas a lot easier. Your companions will follow you, of course, but you can give them orders in many ways. Actually, believe they are smarter than those you had in Baldur's Gate, but the interaction with them is nearly zero unless you initiate an action. You can have a limited number of companions, again depending on your skills and stats, and their reaction towards you may change like those of all people in Arcanum, even leading to they point that they will call it quits.

The continent of Arcanum is huge. You have several cities and villages to travel to, and the countryside is spotted with quest locations. When you have a random encounter during your travels, you are dropped to combat on a rather dull landscape. After you have completed your fight, you may travel onwards using the map (in most cases you'd like to do so), or just wander off the screen and explore. This turns out to be frustrating, though - there is not much to see. The landscape is repetitive, nothing really worth to look at. While you may travel to every point on the continent, there isn't much sense in it. It is barren, but at least it gives you the impression that you are free like a bird.

Music
The musical score is something I want to talk about, too. It's just strings, and while some may find that rather boring or annoying, I liked the musical score a lot. Music changes with the situation, and it never seems out of place. It's nice to hear something that differs from the orchestral score you hear in most RPG's.

(click this link to hear a piece of the music)

The editor
Arcanum ships with an editor where you can build your own game. In theory, that is. Documentation isn't a strong point, to say it in a friendly way. Once you get hold of the basics, you may be able to make some small modules, but to build a complex game, you'll have to invest a lot of time and bear some level of frustration. I have to admit that I gave up after two hours, and I sincerely hope the editors of NWN, Morrowind and Dungeon Siege will be easier to master.

Overall impressions
So, what is my overall impression? While Arcanum isn't perfect, it is highly enjoyable for me. It is big, really big, and it gives a lot of freedom. You can have fun with your character, you "live" with him. There's always a surprise around the corner, and it's hard to leave the game, even when you are tired and bound for your bed. Basically, I would say this: If you enjoy fast paced action RPG's, you should search elsewhere. If you like story driven, classical RPG's, Arcanum won't disappoint you. I suspect it will pale when Morrowind or NWN are released, but until then, it will be a pleasant companion for you.

Rating

Graphics: 6.5 (30%)
As I said before, the graphics are nothing to be proud of. While I think that the graphics themselves are adequate and enhance the atmosphere of the game, the animations are about the worst I have seen in a game for a long time. Since this is something you'll have to watch all the time, it really lowers the rating for graphics substantially.

Sound: 8.5 (20%)
I like the music, your mileage may vary. Game sounds are decent and fit the surroundings, but they are sparse. I enjoyed them when I noticed them. They create the right atmosphere.

Control: 8.0 (25%)
Nothing negative to say about them. The latest patch (1070) has improved inventory handling, and now you can have the control panels be hidden so that nearly all of the screen shows the scenery. I have some minor complaints about how text is displayed, sometimes it overlaps and you have to move the screen a little to read it, but this isn't a big affair.

Fun: 9.5 (25%)
Fun? Very much so. I really enjoyed Arcanum, and due to the beautiful character development and its sheer size, the game has some replay value, even more than Baldur's Gate, I think. The game IS addictive, no doubt about it, and it comes close to what I consider a top notch RPG.

Overall: 8.1
As with friends, you may take some time to fall in love with Arcanum. It isn't love at first sight, but once you accept the lowdowns and heights of this game, it will be an intense relationship. It might not be suited for the casual gamer, but it offers a lot for those who appreciate depth and atmosphere. Buy it? Yes. Buy it.

Reviewers System:
Arcanum 1064 German
AMD Athlon 1300
512MB RAM PC-100
Hercules Geforce 2MX 64MB non overclocked
Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live 1024 Value
Windows 98 SE, latest drivers

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