I must admit, I had my doubts. The screenshots looked weird and messy and I certainly didn't want to have another Geneforge instead of Avernum. But these fears were ungrounded.
Avernum IV is loads of fun.
It takes all of the annoyances out of the Avernum and Geneforge series and fuses them together in an awesome way. Here are the highlights for me:
1) First Aid is actually useful.
2) Area of effect spells a la Exile are back.
3) Blessing/hasting/shielding isn't enough to win battles.
4) Unlimited arrows.
5) Death is much easier to deal with, causing me to fight battles out till the bitter end instead of loading my saved game.
6) It looks nice, and runs smoother than the old games.
Nice work Jeff. I've been a Spiderweb fan since Exile: Escape From The Pit (I was seven at the time, and absoultely terrible, but I had fun playing it anyway) and this may be the finest creation yet. Bravo.