Others say...

"AMAZING"
This game deserves a 7 stars out of 5. It's unlike any RPG I have ever played. I played the game for over two years and never got bored. Beating the game with the different camps and jobs, its incredible. The weapons are vast and the quests and areas are huge. The graphics aren't top notch cause it's kind of an old game, but it's alot better than some of the more moddern titles out there. The freedom in doing what you want and the choices are a great plus. The only bad thing is the bugs and it crashes sometimes but I just quicksave lot so it doesn't matter to much. When you get bored of the game (after playing it for an eternity) it's fun to look up the cheats and fool around with them. With the cheats you can play as any npc or monster just by looking at them and pressing "x". The story is great and I love the gore when you stab somebody after knocking them out. Also the status element of gaining rank for privileges to weapon smiths and stores are really satisfying. This game is great and the combat system is unique and alot better than the click once and it automatically attacks. It involves you in the game and demands more than the brain cells of a lizard. I hope to get Gothic 3 soon despite the bad ratings. Some people just don't appreciate freedom and inginuity in a great game.

""wanna buy uh duck?!" "Yeh! Heya Heya!""
"I'm looking for some swampweed" Is the only grown up thing you can do here. The nakedness and sexual content is removed(for owr "Tender and "impressionable" american eyes). This has some violence but no blood.(a "child" needs to see the ugly side not to do it) Atari is stupid. However there are edits you can do to "remove" the "undergarments of women" or some such. "You didn't hear it here". That said. It is still fun. You CAN do drugs as in part II and you can peddle them(in fact you have to to get dough at first). You are a prisoner, so why in heck(other word) not! Thier is a serious bug when you near the magic dome(feild) you will not die, the game will crash and it will blotch it up permantly(as in re install). If you don't wish to waste time on this game(as in story continuety) don't. Part II has good ref to this and playing this is not nessasary to fully understand the II story line.

"Enjoyable Single Player Adventure"
I won't rehash what all the others mentioned. I agree with their assessment on this games ability to "draw you in". I'd also look into Gothic 2. IMO, it's even better. I just wanted to inform those who might like to purchase this game, that you can buy it at Ebay for thirty-fifty% cheaper than what's being offered here(..I paid sixteen bucks). If you can't find a manual, look for a good walkthrough to explain the controls etc.
Don't pass on this game. Do due dilligence and you can find a reasonably priced copy and free walkthrough.

"Gothic is the best RPG made to date"
It is a pity that Amazon no longer stocks it! Gothic is the best RPG I have ever played. Somehow it gets under your skin and the fear of death during combat becomes real. It may have a few quirks but it is somehow real enough to exite the imagination.

"Gothic truly is worthy of classic status"
I picked this game up on a whim. I had no idea what it was about or even what genre it fit into. All I knew is that it was old. After spending an hour or so getting over the counter-intuitive interface, I was gripped. This game beckons back to the days of open-ended consequence RPGs like the early Ultima's and the Krondor series. You are a nameless hero and have been thrown into this prison camp with only a message and a prayer. It is up to you to try to find a way out. Choose your allies, choose your martial path. Your are your own creator.

Gameplay:
As stated, getting used to the controls is tricky. The game was primarily designed as keyboard only. The mouse was only added in on the recommendation of a magazine, and it shows. This, however, is only a minor fault as a little gameplay will easily get past this design decision. The game is fairly open-ended, especially towards the beginning, when you spend your time learning who is who. It's also fairly challenging, in the beginning you can go anywhere, your only limitations being the strength of the wildlife around you. As you get stronger, your world thusly enlarges until you have free reign of the prison camp. This allows for hours of fun for those who like to wander and explore. The game also has little niceties that add to the worldly flavor like being able to cook your meat, mine ore, make stew, blacksmith some swords, etc. Days cycle, and they take their time doing it. The day-night cycle takes around 72 minutes, which is long enough to 'feel' right. The NPCs have daily routines, so at midnight, they'll be in their homes, while daytime will find them hard at work. This level of detail is hard to find nowadays. The only gameplay problems that occur have to do with the complexity of running a storied game in a freeform world. Since you can kill anyone you want, you might find yourself killing someone that advances the story. This problem is easily solved by the old RPG mantra: save now, save often.

Graphics:
This game is starting to show its age. Sure there are low polygon counts, and sure the textures look bland, but hey - that's what 8x AA is for. This game is one that ignores the prevalent trend of graphics first, content second. The game's engine is still complex enough to allow for amazing vistas with its far horizon and sundry landscape. The 4 year-old graphics will be the last thing on your mind once you get into this puppy.

Sound:
The sound is nice; it's your standard pre-EAX ditty. No noticeable environments, but again, no one is complaining. The ambiance is well thought out and I can swear more modern games have stolen Gothic's soundtracks as the music seems very familiar. Everything is voice-acted and done quite well. The weapon, magic and enemy sounds are varied enough to keep you interested and there was never a time when I ever wanted to play on mute.

Overall:
I highly recommend this game to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good, well-thought, RPG. The decisions you make in the beginning and the sheer pleasure of the game will even allow for substantial replays as you go after the stories threads you had to pass on your first time through.
The only thing keeping this thing from 5 stars is the glitchy-ness caused by an engine at the engineering maxes of its time. But keep in mind, all other things considered, this game is perfect.