Darklands

The Good
This game is nearly perfect, it never gets old. After you beat the game, you can still wander around in the world (hundreds of subquests, you'll probably miss a few along the way). I bought the game back in 1995 and am still playing it today. The historical background is excellent, instead of magic there is alchemy which eliminates the "prevent the evil wizard from taking over the world" plotline most RPGs have. The character creation screen is the neatest I have seen in any RPG, you choose what kind of family they had, some professions your character could have had, and then add your skills points. The characters age realisticly, there are day/night cycles, shops close at certain times... This game will always stand out from any other RPG I've played in terms of gameplay.

The Bad
A few minor bugs, such as getting trapped in some dungeons interfered with my games a few times. The save/load functions needed work, I had to date and timestamp my save games to easily understand which one was the last. It dates them for you, but sometimes it's easier to read yesterday's date instead of the date a couple centuries ago. I've always hoped that MicroProse would make a special edition version with more enhanced graphics, and a map/scenario editor... still haven't gotten it though.

The Bottom Line
If you prefer gameplay over OpenGL 3D graphics, Darklands is for you. If you're looking for a game you'll enjoy for 5+ years, Darklands is for you. If you like RPGs I highly recommend you try Darklands.