Gothic is a series of computer-role-playing games by Piranha Bytes, a German developer. The games are characterized by an open-ended game world in which the (unnamed) hero must initially chose sides among a set of opposed factions (each faction having its own set of side plots), then slowly return to a central plotline common to the entire game. Similar in many respects to The Elder Scrolls games (particularly Morrowind, which was released the same year as Gothic II), the main character must complete quests and slay wild animals and monsters to earn skill points - used to increase basic attributes, improve skills, and learn trades.

The games place a special focus on the interactivity of the environment. For example, while anyone hunting wild animals can gather raw meat (an item that heals damage and can be sold) from them, a player who equips the main character with a frying pan can turn a piece of raw meat into fried meat (a much more effective curative) by making use of a stove. Similarly, most of the activities other characters can be seen doing (playing musical instruments, stirring soup pots, etc.) can be done by the main character as well, though this rarely has a specific use in-game.

The Gothic games also have an unusual combat system which emphasises carefully timed combinations of strikes. This, and the control scheme in general, were disliked by many because of its almost exclusive use of the numeric pad (or arrow keys) of the keyboard and because of its tendency to cause hand cramps -- however the layout was perfectly suited left-handed gamers.

Both Gothic and Gothic II (its direct sequel) were received with moderate-to-high reviews in the US, but were overshadowed in sales by games made by more familiar firms receiving better marketing. The lack of polish the games showed (in terms of their drab color range, somewhat outdated graphics at the time of first release in the US which was far behind the original German release, and a host of minor bugs) also diminished its attention in the States. Despite this, the considerable gameplay (50-100 hours per game), replayability (through following a different faction's path through the game), and highly detailed world helped maintain a small but intensely loyal fan base.

Games

• Gothic I, released in 2001
• Gothic II, released in 2002
• Gothic II: Die Nacht des Raben (Add-on, German), released in 2003
• Gothic II: The Night Of The Raven (Add-on, English), release 2005/2006.
• Gothic III, currently announced for 4 quarter of 2005 (with an English release rumoured half 2006).

External links

• Official Gothic 2 site
• Gothic3.nl - Gothic 3 fan site
• World of Gothic - Gothic fan site
• Gothic database
• RPG Codex (coverage of all CRPGs, especially indie and freeware CRPGs)
• RPG Dot (Contains extensive information on Gothic)
• Sorcerer's Place (coverage of RPGs, especially (A)D&D)