I am a bit amazed that you all seem to think Gothic difficult. I am not much of a fighter, in fact, I am definitely a coward <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> but I got through pretty well. Took me a while longer, I guess, but that was okay since I loved running around in the pretty landscape.
I liked the fact that there are monsters around that you cannot beat in the beginning. Adds a lot of suspense, I think. The soundtrack is great, too. You can often hear the animals before you see them.
