It's a very different experience from RPGs where you just need to out-kill monsters to get a shiny new weapon. In the Ultima series people matter. Their dialogue is not something to be skipped so you can just get on with the game. The text is something to be savoured, like a compelling book.

Eventually, the trail leads you out of the starting city of Trinsic, to Paws, then Britain, and from there you can head wherever you want. However, Britannia has become a much darker place since your last visit, so adultery, drug abuse and class struggles are just a few of the more mature themes you will find.

Adding to the immersion is the clean and fully mouse-driven interface. Gone are the list of keyboard commands needed to play – walking, talking, picking up items, opening your inventory, moving objects around, etc... it's all done with a click of the mouse. Also gone are the stiff dialogues based on typing “name”, “job”, “bye” and other keywords. Now you just have to click on the dialogue options that appear on-screen.

Another aspect is the sheer amount of detail that went into Ultima VII's world. Not only in the dialogues and secrets, but in the simulation of the world itself. Want to make bread? Cut the grain, grind it into flour, add water to make dough, then pop it into the oven. Now you have bread. You can also shear sheep and make cloth, forge your own sword, go fishing, pile up crates to climb, get a job as farmer, etc.

I obviously enjoy Ultima VII immensely, but it does have its flaws though. One of them is the combat. It's real-time and mostly automatic – you basically just toggle in between a “peace” or “combat” mode. The frustration sets in when you go into combat mode and everyone in your party runs off-screen. In a dungeon this usually means at least someone will die, no matter how high their level.