The original Gothic was, at least in my mind, the most underappreciated and overlooked CRPG of all time. Considering that it was destroyed in nearly every review and unjustly criticized in most of the more prominent gaming chat rooms, I’m shocked that the sequel to Germany’s mega-hit Gothic was even released here in America. Thankfully Atari saw the potential this game had, due in part to the huge cult following it had gained, and put a fair amount of marketing muscle behind its domestic release. Although they did advertise it heavily, it seems that much like its predecessor, Gothic 2 is a game that can only be enjoyed by those of us who love our RPGs built the old fashioned way…hard as nails and overwhelmingly non-linear.