Summary

I just played Diablo for the first time (Aug. 2004). I wish I had played it much earlier before playing great games like Morrowind and the Baldur's Gate series. Then I would be able to appreciate it as the classic that many have claimed it to be. Anyhow, I found this game very entertaining from start to finish. It was easy to learn to play, suspenseful, and I didn't notice any bugs (which is a real surprise for games nowadays). I am glad that I finally got around to playing this and will definitely be playing Diablo 2 (plus LoD) next. For anyone who hasn't played Diablo yet, it's definitely worth a look. However, don't expect it to rival games like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights in complexity, options, gameplay, or anything else. Again, it's good old hack-and-slay arcade action with a pinch of role-playing thrown in.

Sound

It has a great soundtrack, especially once you're in the dungeon. The voice acting is pretty good and the other sound effects help build atmosphere.

Gameplay

Most of the time you'll be clicking the mouse to move, attack, pick up things, and open menus. There is really nothing difficult to learn. I personally was not bothered by all of the clicking as long as the fights were challenging. During the first few levels, my figher had no problems even when faced by a mob of enemies. However, by the 7 or 8 level, I had to fight more strategically since the monsters had become much more difficult to beat. By the 12th level, you'll have to draw enemies away from their groups and fight them one at a time. The end fight was appropriately difficult, but not as insanely challenging as the final fights in Baldur's Gate 2. One really great thing about this game is that each time you start a new game the dungeon levels are redrawn and new monsters, treasure, traps, and other things are generated. I really can't see playing this game again since there are so many better games out there right now. However, I like this formula which allows for a tremendous degree of replayability. There were a few things I didn't care for, but they are all together minor. First, this is not primarily a role-playing game, so it is unfair to criticize it for not being more like Baldur's Gate and other RPGs. Diablo is mainly an arcade-style action adventure with some limited role-playing possibilities. You can only choose between 3 classes (fighter, sorceror, or rogue); your stats are preset, although you can control how points are allocated between abilities during the game; and NPC interaction is very limited and more or less restricted to trading and quest-giving. Also, the town itself is small and static, and your character cannot carry much in his/her inventory (which will ensure many visits to town for supplies). However, in the dungeon itself, you do get the sense that you are surrounded by evil, and there is a good amount of suspense as you get closer to the end.