I`ve always seen expansions and add-ons as just another way of making gamers cough up some extra cash, while keeping new content to minimum and addressing issues that could have been very well fixed in a patch. Only a select few bring enough changes to warrant purchase and I`m glad to say that the Witcher Enhanced Edition is among them, and if you weren`t a Witcher fan before, prepare to become one.

Since there we already have a Review for the original game, I`m going to focus more on the differences between the two and see exactly what the "Enhanced" edition brings.

One of the major problems that the Witcher faced, were its abysmal loading times that successfully turned a great game into a serious source of frustration for most gamers. I`m pleased to say that this problem has truly been resolved and is not an issue any longer. This was the first thing I checked out after installing the game and even though the first loading of any map takes some time, consequent loadings are done swiftly. I know there have been a number of patches that all claimed to solve the problem, but none of them did anything for my computer, so the Enhanced edition is really a step forward in this regard.

Another thing that was criticized in the original was the fact that the English dialogues were shorter than the original Polish ones, and the facial animations of the characters were somewhat lacking. Steps were taken in the right direction, with new animations having been introduced, making all the dialogues look much more realistic and new dialogue lines have been re-recorded in English.

The Witcher Enhanced Edition also comes in a new package which includes an audio CD with the soundtrack, the DVD with the game, a Video DVD with behind the scenes footage, an extra DVD with bonus content for the PC. Of course the manual couldn`t be missing from the package, as well as a printed map and a small novel that serves as a nice introduction to the game, even though there are a few translation issues.

Two new missions have been added that can be played separately from the original campaign, and while certainly not on the long side, they can be entertaining enough and provide a little more detail to the story.

The inventory system has also been reworked, providing easier access to alchemical ingredients and also benefiting from an "arrange" button, but the game still suffers from the lack of items that plagued the original. There aren`t really a lot of weapons or armors that can be found for Geralt in the course of the game and I feel this could have been improved in this version. Of course, weapons can be upgraded using potions, providing more damage against different opponent types.

Several smaller changes have been made also, to improve the overall gameplay of the game, the most notable being the "loot all" button, if I can call it that. You simply have to keep the Ctrl key pressed while clicking on any lootable container, yes, that includes corpses as well, and Geralt will pick everything up if you have the space.