The late 90s held a treasure trove of computer role playing games based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons rule set. One such game was Planescape: Torment, heralded by many as the finest role playing game of the 90s. It now holds a position of great stature as a cult classic for its deep and compelling plot, memorable characters, and unique setting.

How does the game actually stack up against the weight of all that history and nostalgia, though? This is what I've been trying to figure out, after dusting off the old box and rediscovering the fact that games once came on CDs, and that a CD drive is the single loudest component of any modern gaming machine. Considering the game’s age, it came as a complete surprise that all the CDs for the original release still work as intended. With Vista x64 as our test OS, it was just a matter of installing the game normally, and to my astonishment it all worked perfectly.

The game only officially supports a resolution of 640x480, so it doesn't look as exceptional as it did way back on my Pentium III 933, GeForce 2 powered machine. Thankfully a few kind folk have made some mods (and guides) for the game that let it run at LCD friendly resolutions. While I couldn't get it working properly myself, 1:1 Pixel mapping on my LCD made tolerable at 640x480.

If you're planning to stretch the game over a 24” monitor, expect it to look ghastly. But when you're viewing the game at the resolution it was intended to be played it looks okay. The game is an RPG anyway, and all the goodness is in the story, which Planescape: Torment has a huge amount of.

Taking on the role of the Nameless One, a man who does not know who he is, or why he is alive, your job in Planescape: Torment is to find out why you cannot die. The game is unique in many ways – death is not the end, and in some cases, it is used as a way of advancing the story forward.

Unlike RPGs released around the same time, Planescape: Torment does not have a primary focus on combat. While there is probably enough fighting to satisfy die-hard AD&D fans, there is a whole lot of roleplaying to do in the game. This is backed up by excellent writing, with vivid descriptions of the NPC's actions, and appearances, all of which could not have been achieved by the graphics of the day.

The game's voice acting retains its charm and wit, with Morte (essentially a talking skull) being especially memorable for his corny jokes in the early game sequences, which generally involve getting it on with the lady zombies.

The plot is the main draw card of Planescape: Torment. Unfortunately, you have to go searching for it, as the game does not hold your hand. It isn't a guided tour of the Planescape Universe so it can, at times, feel quite aimless. When it does, the atmosphere of the game takes over. As the Nameless One, you have no obligation to save the world, only to find out why you remain in it.

Conversing with NPCs for hours on end is as entertaining as the combat in the game, and the complex relationships between individual characters all serve to remind us that today’s RPGs just aren’t as good as they used to be.

Tracking down a copy of Planescape: Torment is difficult if you don't have the boxed copy sitting around in a shed somewhere, but is a must. The game (and its budget re-releases) have all been discontinued, so second hand is the only way to go at the moment. At the time of writing, a number of copies are available through Amazon and E-Bay. While the game is very difficult to track down, die-hard RPG fans probably have a special place of honour for the game on their bookshelves.