So what's news Dbear, did you purchase ToEE? [img]smile.gif[/img]
Having just recently finished the game for the very first time, I have mixed feelings on it. The combat engine itself was an improvement over the horrendous tragedy of the Ruins of Myth Drannor (that game doesn't deserve the PoR in its title as far as I'm concerned) and I really enjoyed both creating my characters and the ambient soundtrack.
However, it is very short and the roleplaying interaction wise is fairly shallow, limited and weak compared to the might of the infinity games; the doyen of the isometric cRPG. I also suffered from a fair few game lock ups (some requiring me to reset the PC) and the performance degraded noticably into the node areas, late in the game, making me cringe in the attempt to get the mouse on the precise location I want it.
Personally, I think playing any of the goldbox games would take me longer and offer more enjoyment storywise - but that said, I had moments of fun with ToEE. The combat dynamics are quite well done and it made me very nostalgic for the turn based days. I might have to play Wizardry 8 or Devil Whiskey now as a consequence.
I'm tempted to write more of a review, but i'll hold back for now.
Is it worth a tenner? I'd say that would be relative to the amount of value one has for their cash and the price one places upon the value of their entertainment.
(Give it a shot at least from a friend and see if you like it first maybe...)
Cheers,
CD