I never played the Gothic series until downloading Gothic 1 from GoG. I've always heard great things about them, and as I am an RPG fan, I thought I'd give it a go. The graphics aren't great, but this is still an old game so you shouldn't be expecting a master piece. The most annoying thing is the drawing distance and how certain things in the distance flicker at times, but you get used to the graphics fairly quickly and they don't detract at all from the experience. In the beginning this game is very, very unforgiving. Near anything you fight will kill you quickly, especially in groups, and you will fall of frequently from high places and have to load (watch out for ladder glitches). The game requires a certain level of patience early on and a lot of walking. The controls are also a bit strange but not complicated, you get used to them very quickly (only the menu system took me a bit to figure out).
But, the setting, atmosphere, and voice acting are all superb. The voice acting especially kicks the butt of more current games like Oblivion; pretty impressive for an older game. Although the general plot is basically linear at later stages, the early sections give you a lot of free reign in choosing your sides and who you want to align with. The leveling system is more innovative than the standard allocate x points here (although you do do that) since you have to find a person to train you in the skill to have it in the first place. Everything is a little tougher than usual, but more rewarding in the end. Overall this is a great game and very immersive.