Boy, the RPG scene sure has changed since the first Gothic game. There was something captivating about that game and I could never understand why I felt compelled to spend so much time with it. Gothic 2 still remains one of the best games I've ever played.

Looks and sounds very nice; it's easy to get into and there are plenty of items to toy around with

Besides the lush environment; nothing motivates players to stay in this world; simple gameplay and simple quest structure; awful English subs (or voiceovers if you will); uninteresting story and characters; there's nothing challenging about this game

When a hapless hero swears vengeance on an evil king for the loss of his pregnant bride-to-be, you'd expect said hero to mention his shoulda-been wife, you know, at least once during the game's 25-hour campaign.

+ Stunning visuals; loot; sidequests; and crafting make for addictive exploration; + Balanced mixture of magic; archery; and melee combat

- Half-hearted story design; framerate issues; minor bugs, ? If Arcania sells well, can we get the earlier Gothic games in some sort of Xbox 360 bundle

Arcania is a difficult game to review. For the first few hours of play it took all my will to continue. The camera is wonky, movement feels awkward, and combat is uninspired and repetitive. On top of that the plot and dialogue is cliched.

The Good: Stunningly beautiful realm The Bad: containing a lackluster and somewhat dull adventure The Ugly: which I hesitate to call an RPG as most contemporary role-playing elements are missing I am likely not the best person to be reviewing Arcania: Gothic 4.

In a week with the release of Dragon Age: Ultimate Edition and Fallout: New Vegas, I'm reminded that I personally have yet to play either series, not to mention Mass Effect or Elder Scrolls.

My time spent with ArcaniA: Gothic 4 was more like spending time in a waiting room than anything else. It is bland, something to play just to finish it and kind of irritating. I really do not strongly dislike ArcaniA but am quite irritated by Gothic 4 .

Parents need to know that Arcania: Gothic 4 is a fantasy role-playing game that focuses heavily on combat. That said, the fighting isn't gory -- players see only a small amount of blood.

Gothic 4 is an over-the-shoulder-camera RPG much like Oblivion or Mass Effect, but it leaves much of the role-playing activities out. The result is a game that would ordinarily be action heavy, like a graphically superior version of Torchlight, had the overall story and action not been so dull.

Don't ask where the others are.

I am a big fan of the Gothic and Risen series. This game is not as good as Gothic 1 or 2, but it is not horrible either. The graphics are nice. I find that I cannot stop playing. Having just finished Oblivion again, I picked up this game and have not been able to put it down.