Fallout

The Good
It looks great, it sounds great, it plays great, and it doesn't have character classes. As far as I am concerned, computer games need not (and quite possibly can not) advance beyond the level of excellence this game offers. All things considered, this is one of the most involved (involving? whatever...) computer RPG/adventure games ever, as it actually enables the player to play any kind of character he wants. I mean, real people don't go around with "I'm a Mage, please stab me" tattooed on their foreheads (I hope), and they still manage to do their own stuff and whatnot and you know what I mean.

[Added later:] One thing I forgot to mention when originally writing this review is the excellent presentation. Right from the loading screen through the magnificent intro sequence to the [REMOVED] end (oops, almost slipped a spoiler) you get sucked into the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout. It's also very re-playable, as I found out when I recently purchased Fallout 2 and it came with the original. Depending on the PC you create and how you actually play the game, you're always finding out new stuff. (The truth apparently is out there.)

The Bad
This game is buggy. Bugs all over the shop. Ugly ones, to boot. Also, once your PC is strong enough, you can do stuff that screw some of the responses up, although I guess that really counts as a bug, too.

[Added later] All right, I now have a more recent version, and some of the more annoying bugs seem to have vanished, but you still sometimes have to try some things several times in slightly different ways to trigger the correct reactions. Of course, if I hadn't played Fallout before, I wouldn't have noticed the problems.

The Bottom Line
If you liked Baldur's Gate, you'll love this game (you never even have to change the CD). It has one of the best plots, settings, and overall feels I've ever come across in a computer game, and it's not too easy, either.

Get it.

[Added later] Hey, you don't actually have to like Baldur's Gate to love Fallout!