Sure feels like a bug, but maybe I'm missing something or something (I hope so).

Met this Otto dude and two others who are members of some cult, wanted me to open Nericon's garden so they could worship. Got the key from the merchant, unlocked the gates, went in, killed four frogs, and a door appeared. Went through the door, got a bunch of money and frog statuette, came back out, left Nericon's garden, and went back to Otto.

Picked the dialogue "I read the book and want to join you" something like that, and then the only dialogue options that come up are "The gates are locked what do we do" and "Goodbye" even though the gates are standing there WIDE OPEN.

I can't remember this quest at all so I'm ok with spoilers here cause I'm starting to tire of this now and just want to move along.

That isn't a bug; they just don't recognize that you opened the gate.

Check out the statues in the garden (save first, make sure you have the book in your inventory).

Ugh, yeah, not having the book was the problem. I had clicked on that statue a dozen times. i changed into a frog and jumped on the pedestal of the missing statue, nothing worked but when I went back and got the book, that completed the Book of Life quest. Thank you again.

Now may I ask if just the gold and frog statuette was what the Nericon's Garden was all about? I thought killing frogs and then finding a frog statuette was a hint that I should change to a frog, but that doesn't seem to do anything other than using up my stamina at an incredible rate. I ask because I thought when I asked the merchant about this, I asked about any special "items" and so I was surprised when all of the chests had gold. I guess the frog statuette was the special "item?"

Yes, the treasure is just gold and the frog statuette. Don't knock the frog, though; as a frog you can cover ground fairly quickly, even when encumbered or out of stamina. The frog statuette was the only one I kept on my character (for use when I had to cover areas I had already cleared, etc), though some people used the spider statuette to chase merchants out of there shops to loot (doesn't help with Kistandalius in Ars Magicana) or get through orc controlled territory.

Thanks again, Raze.

I hope any folks reading this and seeing OFG is starting to tire of this, don't let that fool you. I will not play a game that's not any good long enough to tire of it, so that's the key to me. This game is a winner, and had I not started over twice after getting past level 20 each time, I would probably be finished by now anyway. Yes I started over due to the bugs, BUT I didn't HAVE TO. Raze almost always offers other ways to fix/circumvent bugs that don't include starting over.

I felt I needed to say that because this has become one of my all time favorite games and when I find one like that I like to share it in case it works for someone else too because I know how special it is to find one like that. This is that game for me.

And thanks again Raze, guess you're tired of reading that though. Just don't know how to thank you enough.