Thank you all for replying. Unfortunately, I can't read 70% of this thread as from a quick skim it seems there are a lot of spoilers!
In any case, I've nearly finished G2 now - just entered Benerii-Uss. Such a fun game (Gazers + Eyebeast FTW! I initially thought I made a poor choice when compared to the Drakons, but now I'm eating Drakons for lunch).
Looking forward to playing G3 through to G5 within the next few months.