How different is IWD2 for IWD1? I've got IWD1 and enjoyed playing it, but found it was a tiny bit too much of a hackfest.

How IWD 2 compared to IWD 1 ?

1/ First and foremost it uses 3rd edition rules. Gone are the negative AC, the THAC0, amnesia when dual classing. In are feats, skills, coherent multiclassing system.

2/ Point buy system for character creation (instead of rerolling)

3/ The gameplay is pretty much the same: Linear, many fights, quite a few puzzles, but gone are many of the FedEx quests.

Bottom line: It is still a hackfest, social interaction has been spiced up: Some dialogue options only available to specific characters... but I would be lying to you if I told combat is not the main focus of the game anymore.

Cheers.
I might still buy it - I'm not that much against hackfests, but I do miss the role playing bits from Baldur's Gate I & II.

I have found that they did increase the roleplaying in this version because I am like you in believing that Baldurs gate 1 and 2 were about a perfect balance of fighting and figuring.

I like everything about IWD II better than 1 except for one thing.

It seems the grand epic quest that you had going on in the first one is missing. In this one it seems to be your just playing pinball kinda wondering around as life just takes you buy...

But all things considered it roxs