But my heart stays with the original for its comparative simplicity and naive charm. The sequel, Baldur's Gate 2, went on to greater critical acclaim and is also on Steam. We just stopped caring because everything else was so wonderful. In fact, it had even more lumbering stats than most of its predecessors. And gave us heart-stopping real time combat with a pause button.

In place of the lumbering, stat-driven games of the past, here was a thing that wove character and story into an epic tapestry. Let's start than with the title that transformed role-playing games forever.

So here are some of the best, just in case you need a suggestion next time you fancy a bit of dungeon delving.īy Beamdog - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£14.99) And you can find examples of every kind on Steam. The games have diversified into multiple, confusing sub-genres each with their own vocal fan base. Just as the numbers behind the scenes have become more complex, the interfaces above have become prettier and more accessible. Since then, the genre has come on in leaps and bounds. Given the natural ability of computers to crunch stats, and the natural affinity between programmers and Dungeons & Dragons, that's no surprise. Some of the earliest video games ever were role-playing games.