Its an old school RPG, very very similar to NWN, Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. If you've played those, you'll feel right at home in DOA, if you liked them, then you'll love DOA.
I had 3 playthroughs on the PC version with different origins before I put it down and then played Awakening. If you try complete as many sidequests as possible, your probably looking at 50 hours +- for your first playthough. I have a rather embarrassing 305 hours logged in DOA + Awakening. So yes, if your into these types of games, its incredible value for money.
The only significant problem with DOA is that its story is a bit.... I don't know... cliche? You would think that would be a showstopper for an old school RPG, but Bioware have proven many times that they are amazing story tellers and its no different in DOA. Its not so much the story, but the way its told and more importantly, the way it unfolds. They really know how to press your emotional buttons.
