Even if you're weary of the handholding common in many of today's roleplaying games, Risen 2's stubborn refusal to give you much help will prove frankly startling. The first shock comes when you have to spend almost all of your gold in order to learn how to sneak; the next major one is when you find yourself on the game's first island with only the slightest idea of how to proceed aside from the guidance of a simple compass.