I think some people might have an idea of what sandbox means that differs from the way Darklands play: as a "you set up everything" kind of game. It might be better to call it generally non-linear. It does have a lengthy plot that you only get hints of in the first part of the game, and many features are locked in place. But how your party becomes strong enough to deal with problems later is entirely up to you, and character creation is the strongest I've seen in any RPG, bar none.
I'm still surprised some company hasn't jumped on Darklands to make an update or followup. Hell, I'm surprised of many player-designed attempts over the years, none has ever come to fruition.
I actually like the combat. For the time, it was pretty sophisticated, with a range of weapons that had different speeds, attack, and penetration values. There were also four different modes of melee attack. The problem for me, at least, is too much repetition in the kind of challenge you face early on, where you have to repeatedly raise your skills against night thugs in any given town. On the other hand, the random dungeon creation was top notch, so that raubritter castles really do differ considerably, as does the conduct of the raubritters, themselves. And the kobold mines are a source of neverending amusement.
