yes the game is widescreen, i play in 1440x900 without stretch in the game or in the interface =)

This game has random crashing issues on some new hardware-- does this mean that has been fixed?

Sadly I don't think so. I've had to eat my words from a previous post... "Looks great, performs great", It does look great but performance? Not sold on that yet after what I've experienced so far. It seems like luck of the draw from other posts I've read here, some systems seem to run it fine others not so much. Here is what I've had so far:
Random crashes mostly around city of Arx itself. Just flat out crashes midstep. Not sure why.
I've had one memory leak which crashed the game and did at least give me a pop to know what went wrong. I've plenty ram though, but I am only running an intel integrated video card at the moment. Not sure if that could be related?
Game save loads. It seems like it can take anywhere from 5 seconds to 45 seconds to load a quicksave or standard save. All depends on how the game is feeling at the time.
I've tried reboots/reinstall, doesn't help. Its hanging for some reason.
Anyway I'm not out to bash the game or get people not to try it. Just trying to share my experience to date.

This is what version the game is on steam...it is what the creators have made for when they decide to release the game via digital...
---Stixsmaster

Well for those of us that ALREADY have this game, I would say Arkane Studios AND GOG are just after our money!
Supposing the patch was only in the Steam version? Or the Gold version? Or on the CD of an expansion?
So I will be contacting Arkane and asking them to make this patch available to gamers who supported them years ago by purchasing this game, and gave them the initial income to A) produce Dark Messiah and B) to still be in business to do this GOG deal!
As I see in the 1.19 fix list above, 'Fixed flare on lights' I presume the corona through walls problem has been fixed in 1.19 that as an original purchaser of the game I am not allowed access too!

corona through walls IS fixed in 1.19 - Arkane should make this patch available to all, IMHO

And i believe they will eventually. They did a very similar thing when they released their game on steam too. They made a patch and for a while buying the game from steam was the only way to get the update. I don't think they are doing this to deliberately screw people who already bought the game though. To assume something like that is just a bit silly. Besides it's not like these updates (1.18 and 1.19) are absolutely must have for gameplay, or your game will be horribly broken. Just a little technical stuff on the engine side to make the game play nicer on the newer systems.

Oh come on man, first of all, this whole website is a tribute to Good Old Games, and the prices are just crazy, there's not even that 1$ = 1 euro rippoff here :S
If they really wanted the money, the games would be much more expensive...
Besides, more money to GOG = more games for us =)

Well, it's now the second week of April 2009, nearly 6 months after GOG started selling Arx Fatalis with an 'official' 1.19 patch, and still no patch or even talk of a patch over at Arkane's forum.The last post, about 3 months ago, said they were 'working on it' - well, if they are working on it - what the hell is GOG's 'official' 1.19 patch then?!
I despair of PC gaming's future, and can see why the past is getting more interest, as in GOG's expansion. So good luck with the profit from Arx Fatalis GOG and Arkane, because you're getting that blood money on the back of the original $60 purchasers of the game that kept Arkane in business so you two could do the dirty on us original owners. Thanks a bunch,

Posting anonymously doesn't cover your distinctive odour, UK_John.

It's very common for later releases of products to incorporate improvements or additional content that is not made available to those who purchased the previous versions. Just because the PC does not have as many technical barriers does not mean it becomes easy to update older releases.
Creating a patch is not as simple as just clicking a button; it has to be able to update any of the many patch versions this game has had (including pre-patched re-releases), work for the various languages the game was released in, and also ideally be made available for the Steam release (which would surely not be compatible with a normal retail patch because of Steam's different DRM). All of this takes a lot of time, and Arkane earns nothing from it. They have at least one game currently under development, and unlike an Arx patch it will be directly profitable.
For those who really love Arx, $6 is a small price to pay to get the ultimate version. Additionally, if Arx continues to sell well (whether on GOG or Steam) Arkane may find it easier to get publisher backing or whatever is necessary to organise a sequel, which would be the greatest reward of all.

AS I am hardly on this site any more I consider that slander. Another plus for the guys who now post on GOG. Didn't take long to become just like most forums, full of losers.

From the moderator of the Arkane Studio's thread on the 1.19 patch
"Hi
I'am very very sorry to tell you that we don't have the ressources to do it.
The version was originialy made for GOG users.
Cheers
WB"
So there will be no standalone 1.19 patch and Arkane have more or less admitted GOG paid them or made this patch themselves.
I also got a Private Message from the same moderator asking for my address, so they could send me a 'gift'. Needless to say, I said no way.

UK_John -> Dude, seriously, no one here cares about your problems.
Go to Steam forum and troll there.
Please ban this guy already, his constant wining and total immunity for logical arguments makes him a perfect candidate for "GOG's first official banned user".
Congratulations John, you earn it !