Yes, you're right, Bill, there IS a lot of tension in defining these games. Lots of traditional pen-and-paper gamers like Mr. Custard sometimes go so far as to say that CRPGs aren't really RPGs. For them, an "RPG" is primarily a type of play-acting, where you sort of improvise a story and act in-character during the session. I've only done traditional D&D once, and I noticed this was the most striking feature. People who are really into it won't even respond to their own names; it's either act in-character or quit the game. This can lead to LARPing, or live-action role play, where the characters actually dress up and act out the roles in a type of improvised play.

I can see where people who were attracted to this type of RPG wouldn't care at all for the computerized equivalents. On the one hand, the computer can do one thing really well--crunch all those numbers and keep the calculations and dice rolling firmly in the background. It's a bit distracting and tedious in a real session to wait for the DM to do all the calculations, but somehow it seems lame for a DM to ignore the dice and just make his own decisions (which I've seen done). Indeed, a few DMs I know are so far out that they refuse to follow any rules whatsoever, declare themselves a type of god in their fantasy realm, and you just have to accept whatever arbitrary decisions they reach regarding outcomes. Not very fun in my opinion.

One complaint I often hear from traditional D&Ders is about the linear gameplay of the computer games. Obviously, if you're going with the type of DM I just described, the game is very open-ended. However, most DMs will at least try to follow the official rules, and less experienced ones will buy a campaign module and just work through it. I don't see how these are any less linear than the computer games. Indeed, during the one session I did play, I pissed the DM off by refusing to open up a chest in the middle of the room. I kept saying, "I don't care about the chest. Let's just leave it alone." This was killing him because he had this elaborate story arc setup about the chest; it was actually a trapdoor into a dungeon. At any rate, he finally said something lame like, "A divine force forces you to open the chest!" and, at that point, I was ready to quit. The DMs have just as many ways to force a linear story on to you as the computer!!

But anyway, to get back to the taxonomy. I would definitely distinguish Diablo from Baldur's Gate and then again from Bard's Tale. My belief is that games as different as Diablo, Morrowind, and Pool of Radiance don't belong any single category. Let's not even consider non-fantasy CRPGs like Fallout for the moment.

I guess I would categorize "CRPGs" according to criteria: (a) Do you create and control one character or a party? (b) Does the game have first-person or third-person perspective? (c) Does the game have a narrative, or is it entirely open-ended? (d) Is it turn-based, real-time, or some combination? and finally, (e) is it designed for only one-player?

I'd also add some requirements for a game to be considered an CRPG. There should, at the very least, be some means of gaining experience and leveling up character/s so that they can become more powerful and gain new abilities. Ideally, this system should be fairly nuanced, to allow for very different possibilities. I'd also insist that there be a world to explore and an emphasis on strategic combat (vs. arcade style combat). I realize that some folks have argued that you can play a peaceful farmer in ROGUE and that is technically "playing a role," but I don't buy it. Likewise, I don't consider Space Invaders and the like as "RPGs" even though in a way you do "gain levels" and new powers as you progress. I don't like CRPGs that require too much in the way of "twitch," which is why I never cared for "clickfests" like Diablo.

Finally, I'd also insist that a CRPG takes place in one of the "genre fiction" environments, whether it be science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, or possibly even a western. This is perhaps more out of convention than of necessity, but I have such a hard time imagining a good CPRG set in a mundane environment.