I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by "the Witcher."
Gameplay: This is a single-player RPG, tailored to the PC. It's set in a medieval-inspired world that has its share of intrigue, moral dilemmas, and other troubles. The goal, of course, is to rescue the world from an evil cult and various other nasties. In so doing, you'll battle several types of monsters, travel through various environments, meet various people, and gain various skills. Standard RPG stuff. What is new here is the focus on combat and the ways in which Geralt (the main character) can improve his skills. The combat mechanics, while simple, are fun and never get old. You will not find much in the way of new armor or weapons, but there is enough combat, alchemy, and magic to keep the game interesting. There are many quests, ranging from "fetch this" or "kill that" to more involved scenarios. Character interactions can get pretty interesting, especially when you have to make difficult choices. The game earns its "mature" rating. Even if you are not really looking for it, there are at least a half dozen women that Geralt will have the opportunity to be intimate with during the main quest. I suppose that there are several others that I missed all together. In the American version of the game, there is no outright nudity. Additionally, there is some profanity and gory scenes, but nothing that's really over the top.
Graphics: This is a good-looking game. Environments are convincingly rendered, and character models and animations look good, too. Some character models are repeated way too often, and you may get tired of encountering the same monsters (such as Drowners) dozens of times. But still, the game's visuals are immersive and convey a good sense of the grittiness of Geralt's world.
Sound: All is well with the auditory for the most part. The music is appropriate to each context, and the voice acting is reasonably performed. Environmental sounds are also present.
Technical issues/documentation: This game may have crashed my computer 2-3 times during about 40 hours of gameplay. Otherwise, it was stable. It comes with a decent manual, and the first half-hour of gameplay is a tutorial. With the first patch installed, I found the loading times to be reasonable, though there were a few areas that took 15-20 seconds to load.
Replay value: Given the limited character customization and rather linear plot, I found no reason to play this game a second time. However, there are several quests that allow for alternate resolutions, so some players might go back a second time.
Overall, this is a fine RPG that takes full advantage of the PC's power and controls. I hope that a sequel is forthcoming.