1. As already mentioned, you always start out as a Fighter, but can change to Mage or Thief by asking certain people to teach you. You can not multiclass, though.
I, and many others, think playing a Mage gets the most out of the game.
2. I believe the 1.1 version is the latest patch, at least the latest I've found. Not that the game was particularely buggy to begin with, just a some slowdowns in some areas.
3. Was has been mentioned before but I want to add that you shouldn't forget that you can talk to your fellow party members, you can learn alot about their past and some have even a trick or two to teach you.
Additional tips would be to raise both wisdom and intelligence, as they help you in a variety of ways in a game that is more about brains than brawns. Also, check out Fell's Tatoo Parlour in the same area you find the Smoldering Corpse Bar. He can sell you tatoos with special powers that both you and some of your party members can equip. Make sure to return to Fell's on a regular basis as he gets new tatoos based on some of the quests you've solved.
[ 07-25-2004, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Stratos ]