Unfortunately, some of the most compelling things about many RPGs didn't make it into The Witcher. Your main weapons can be improved, but you're pretty much stuck with them, and you won't be finding a ton of loot with all kinds of configurable enchantments or the like. To me, the most important thing about RPGs is making choices that affect your character's in-game performance, and in that respect, this game doesn't quite hit that mark. Most of the important choices affect the story, but don't really help you kill monsters in any different or more efficient way. Sure, you still gain abilities and can put points into melee attack and magic styles, but you're not also creating or equipping all kinds of gear with various properties to help you fight better. The ability to create potions through Alchemy is there, however, and while Geralt usually doesn't need it to win, that is one option for finding that RPG-like depth.​

While just about every RPG out there has lots of dialog, The Witcher is unique in that the dialog becomes one of the more compelling reasons to play.​

Yes, the combat is good, and your character does gain new tactical options and cool abilities as he improves, although the lack of new gear will turn off those for fans of games like Diablo. The world design is realistic but interesting and the enemies you fight are generally worthy opponents, but it's the story of Geralt and how he affects his world that will keep you playing. Some technical problems plague the experience, but overall I think you will have a hard time finding a better fleshed-out story in any game released in 2007. The Witcher is not for everyone, and even some hardcore RPG players might find this a disappointment, but it's still an excellent fantasy game with enough merits for me to recommend it for any fan of the genre.​