OMG, don't say that's not it! Turning off screen shake definitely worked in HOW. I have to admit I haven't played BGII much since I got HOW, but I thought that had fixed it.
As far as the number of critical hits goes, having points in some of the 'style' proficiencies means you get a critical hit on a natural roll of 19 or 20 (effectively doubling the chance of a critical hit). With a party of 6, you have reasonable odds of getting a critical hit in most rounds, given that some characters also have more than one attack per round.
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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
Epona of The Laughing Hyenas.