Gothic 1 and 2 are fantastic games i think. However, they are quite outdated and their controls are not so great but if that is no problem for you i think it is worth giving them a shot. Many people did not like Gothic 3 because of the bugs it had at release but they should be fixed now. Gothic 3 is quite a different game with more modern controls, however I still think it's a great game even though it is not as good as my favorite, Gothic 2. I can't say much about Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods as i have never tried it however, it was made by a different developer. The Arcania games on the other hand are totally different games and more linear as the first 3 Gothic games. I would not call them part of the Gothic series and don't really recommend them. Hope this helps.