one thing i'd point out in defense of the 1hand + shield however (grim did this too). with the sharpen skill, your singlehanded will easily be doing over 200pts damage, you'll have a higher armor class, and 3 to 4 charm slots. if you're using gold charms, that's a boatload of extra power!
keep in mind i say this as a bow using character. melee weapons simply don't hold a candle to the power of a bow. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> (my opinion of course!)
