Hey all - I've had a hell of a time with TOB and am looking for an easier game to play for a while. Is Icewind Dale as difficult a game as Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. I'm looking for something I can get through in a relatively short amount of time.

What are your thoughts on Icewind Dale? Will it tide me over until Neverwinter nights comes out?

icewind dale is extremely fun!!! i like it alot. its a cross between bg and bg2 in my opinion. its just a great game.

Note that IWD is pretty straightforward hack-n-slash: you create the characters, and there's none of the party personality you find in BG2. It's also much more linear, which may be to your liking--or not.

Give some thought to Gorasul. It's got some translation problems (the original was in German), but the game takes about 30-40 hours, and has some nice twists on the typical Bioware-style product. (For instance, you get to create a weapon at the game's start that only your main character can use, and it gains stats as you advance.)

Loved IWD. Note that you must make up your own party. No NPC's, which limits it in some respects, but it's got beautiful graphics and nice, atmospheric music. But no Imoen, no Viconia. (sighs)