Not going to overly verbalize this...;) I am in awe of this game. It's an RPG unlike anything I've ever played before (almost everything) and I find the combat unique--and it works perfectly! When I saw the first screen shots of the party on the grid I wasn't convinced it would work--but it's so smooth I'd call it "flowing"--the combat just naturally seems to flow--and it all just works...;) I also like the fact that the game is not merely an interactive movie running from cut-scene to cut-scene with a few branching choices in between, etc. It's actually got all the elements of a *game*, too! No spoilers. Except to say that if you like RPGs and don't have the game then don't walk--*run* to get it!

I was also pleased the save-game system does not get in my way--as I had once feared it might. Anytime I want to save my forward progress in all of the particulars I can just "Quit to desktop" and the game saves my position--the game even tells you that's what it is going to do...;) The result is that if you happen to lose unexpectedly in a fight and your last "Totem" save was somewhat before your save when you quit the desktop, well, just hit ESC, hit "load game" and select that last save, etc. And you'll wind up repeating nothing. Even the totem saves themselves are much better than old-fashioned check-point saves I found.

So far--I'm now hunting for Fiona's house--and it's *clobberin' time again!* Easily the best game I have played in quite sometime!

You're welcome! It is easily one of the best games I've ever played--and I guess a lot of that has to do with its origininality. I hope to see more of the BT after this--can't believe I'm saying that *already* because I'm only half-way through the game now...;) I think this is easily the best thing InXile has done to date--looks like you guys poured your hearts and souls into this--it shows! It is also remarkably consistent with the original games I bought new 30+ years ago! I mean, it's what I would expect the series to have evolved into had BT games remained in development during that long span of years.

It isn't often that I praise a new game to this extent--it's actually rare because, let's face it, really great titles are still few and far between these days--so much cookie-cutter stuff. BTIV is certainly not "cookie cutter," and...OK, well, that's enough unbridled praise for today...;)

You guys take care!