Pagan is very very different from previous Ultimas, the initial release was almost like an arcade game in certain respects. It had a controll system that made jumping accurately extremely difficult. People were constantly dieing and, having to reload save games when jumping across things. In response to numerous complaints Origin released a patch that, among other things made jumping much easier.

    In my view even with the patch the controll system is still quite irritating. It's very fiddly, as in order to interact with items you have to stand right next to them, that kind of fussiness may be realistic, but it's also annoying and inconvenient. The avatar is also rather difficult to controll, and has a nasty tendancy to walk into things like bonfires, then stand there smouldering while you try desperately to get him to move.

    In Pagan there are no companions anymore, and the avatar must adventure alone.

    Theres also no more close ups of peoples faces when you talk to them, so you never really feel close to people.

    The avatar and everyone else in the game all have many more frames of animation, so they look much better when they move. It's great fun to make the avatar dance, well it looks like dancing to me:) The animation is really great.

    To me many tradional Ultima and RPG elements are missing from Pagan. This game could probably be considered to be more an action adventure than an RPG, and that, to me, is not what Ultimas should be.

    His quest on Serpent Isle complete, the Avatar is dragged through time and space by the Guardian, and flung onto Pagan. Pagan is part of the Guardians world, and very different to Brittania.

    The people here have never even heard of the virtues, and have their own culture and way of life.

    The avatar must adventure alone in a strange land, and struggle to uphold the Virtues in a realm where such things mean nothing.

    His quest, to escape Pagan, to survive, to return home.