The game definitely has its flaws, but it also has this particular something that makes you want to continue playing.
The install went smoothly, and I plunged into the game. The graphics, said to be outdated by some, are actually really good. A few pixels here and there, but the game doesn't try to be Far Cry. It has a really good atmosphere, and the graphics are really good, adding to the gaming experience. I really enjoyed going to a hill or higher ground just to look around. Especially on a horse :). And might I add here, that horseback riding is implemented extremely well here. It is hard to master, as it should be. It reflects actual horseback riding very well – the limited turning rate, inability to go to a full stop from gallop, etc. A definite plus for the game here.
We get a preset character, which is a good thing for telling a specific story, although takes away pretty much of flexibility. The story is very personal though, so the immersion is quite good at the end.
The controls seem a bit weird at the start, but it gets better. After some hours, they seemed pretty intuitive. The combat system is very mouse-intensive, but requires your attention and it really matters, how you plan out a fight, so it's a plus. I am not a hardcore hack&slasher, but it didn't drive me away, so the casual gamer should not have any problems with the combat. Plus, when you die, you get resurrected at the nearest health shrine :).
Voice acting and the dialogs are hilarious, but that's definitely not what the developers aimed at. It's just that the fake medieval English is sometimes so bad it makes you laugh. This part of the game is definitely one of its weakest spots and definitely could use improvement.
The quests are kind of classic, but not the repetitive 'kill x goblins'. They have actual goals, and the motives are explained quite well. Almost every task somehow fits into the grand scheme of things (and we have two main background stories to follow), so it's a very nice piece of scenario job. You have several factions to choose from, with two sets of warring adversaries, although this isn't implemented very well: it is far too easy to gain recognition with the factions and the responses of NPCs don't take your reputation into account too well (it's either ally, neutral or foe, very black&white).
There is also the inventory... it's very hard to micro manage it, although it pays off, when you sell it all to the merchants. All opponents 'drop' everything you see – if he has a helmet and chain armor, and fights with a sword, you'll get exactly those (plus maybe some healing potion). The horse has sacks where you can store the extra inventory, and it's damn useful, as your carrying capacity is limited by your strength.
There's also a unique feature of combining items. When you have two items of the very same type (and it's not just leather, chain, plate – each weapon and armor class has numerous subclasses, so there are literally HUNDREDS of different items with variating statistics) you improve it, making it protect you more (armor) or deal more damage (weapons/arrows). You also can find magic gems (quite abundant) that can be applied to a weapon to add elemental damage (each weapon can only have one element added to it, so it's good to carry several weapons with you, because some enemies are resistant or especially vulnerable to some elements and attack types). And for jewelry lovers – magic rings increasing basically every characteristic :).
The story itself I found captivating and very well planned. You don't have to follow any preset path, and any chains of events are nicely implemented. There are some choices to be made in the game, but only a few have a long-standing impact. Don't expect the grandeur of The Witcher here.
The character development is nicely planned. You get skill points to assing to any of several dozen passive and active (need to be activated) skills for leveling up and for performing some specific feats (like killing an ogre). At each level, you also get attribute points to increase Dexterity (helps the to-hit ratio and dodge), Strength (pretty self explanatory), Endurance (health) and Wisdom (for magic users). I myself found the passive skills to be the most important, as there is usually no time to use the active skills several times during combat. The most important skill at the start is Lockpicking. Max it out as much and as early as you can, as there are many chests to be opened, and the best have very nice items inside.
All in all, despite its definite flaws (dialogues, inventory micro-management, not-so-well implemented faction reputation) the game is very captivating and has this particular something that makes you want to play 'just a little bit more', ending up noticing the time at 3 a.m.
A definite must-try for fans of The Elder Scrolls (although a class lower than that), Drakensang, etc.