Welcome to the forum! [Someone will be along shortly to do the wave for you - that exceeds my techno-capabilities]
There is a FAQ at your fingertips - at the top of this forum - and covers the basic concepts. Other than that, if you want to remain spoiler-free (which is highly recommended), check out this site:
http://www.geocities.com/sixospades/bg/contents.htm
Have fun and experiment with the game.