At the end... I didn't want it to end (you can keep playing, too!). I was floored. I didn't realise CRPGs could be this way. I still refer to Wasteland's mechanics in game design, a brilliant blend of area design context and RPG systems used to create amazing scenarios.

Wasteland has numerous strengths and weaknesses, but the strengths definitely overshadow the weaknesses. The area design, ambiance, the system spread and applications, and the narrative itself were top-notch, while the system balance, attribute use, healing and the rare application of the ability to divide your party diminished the experience somewhat.

The narrative shines through in the game content itself, and also in the well-written (and amusingly so) narrative book included in the game, filled with richly described characters. The wasteland is simply an amazing blend of raider-occupied towns, mutant agricultural centers, robot factories, Las Vegas and even the inside of an android's brain, where I almost feared the game had jumped the shark.

The quests and encounters there are innovative and interesting, and although the overall quest doesn't kick into full gear until over halfway through the game, there's plenty to keep you going. The people of the world respond to your actions, even as soon as the first area of the campaign, and remind you of the harsh world that you've found yourself in.

Wasteland comes with a slight learning curve not present in other RPGs at the time, reflected first in its character creation. Loosely based on the Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes tabletop RPG, its skill-based and attribute-based system was a bit more complex than say, Bard's Tale, but allowed for a richer character role-playing. If I wanted to create a Russian explosives expert who liked to throw knives, I could. And that was a much richer development tree than “Fighter.”