I would like to start by recommending Avernum 2 Crystal Souls to anyone, who is interested in content over looks.
Real old school RPG, with tons of lore and story. A game I cannot put down, when I come home from work, until like 2 o'clock in the morning. But I will keep it short.
I give this game a 7/10.
It loses some points due to
1) Talent-trees are not interesting at all. For example mages have 3 class based talents only (first one is required to learn more spells, second one gives 2% damage to spells on each level and third one is something equally meh)
2) Pathfinding problems are frequent. Characters just will not move when you order them to, forcing you to click a shorter distance away, which solves the problem. Enemy AI does not seem to have this problem.
It gains a lot of points due to
1) A GREAT STORY, with incredible depth. This is a game of substance over flashy graphics.
2) Collecting different loot is fun
3) There is a ton of caves and other places to explore beside the story and they all have unique items/characters
4) good game mechanics
5) Value (1/3 of a full-priced game's value)
6) Feels different than all of the other RPG-s, which is a plus in my books
NEUTRAL
1) Some in-game images are made to be ridiculous, I don't know why, it ruins my imagination when playing the game
2) Long distance travelling switches to a macro-scale view of the map. This is a hit-or-miss thing, mostly because of wierd game mechanics involved. Ala. bandits and guards travelling side by side toward you, never really acting out on each other. Rats following you around the world of Avernum, never giving up the chase etc etc.
This is my short review of Avernum 2, but I definately suggest that anyone with a knack for RPG-s get this timeless gem.