Pros: Sheer depth, quality and atmosphere
Cons: Needs perseverance, stick with it!

When I bought my Playstation back in April 1997, the only game I had was Tekken 2, so I borrowed a few games from a friend of mine. Reluctantly (having briefly previously seen the first 10 minutes of the game) I had tried them all until Resident Evil was the only one left....
Initially I was unimpressed, the game was slow, there were too many "cut-sequences" of dialogue and the controls were awkward. However it only took me a few hours to get totally absorbed and then I couldn't put the damn thing down!
The depth of play here has, in my opinion not been equalled by any of the subsequent series (RE2, Dino Crisis, RE3 Nemesis) and, though the graphics may be more polished in sequels, the forboding atmosphere through the use of atmospheric music is far superior to any other survival horror game (Silent Hill comes a close second).
Resident Evil is a perfect blend of fiendish puzzles, pant soiling tension and gun toting action and will take a good few weeks to complete. Even 3 years later I now fully appreciate what a stroke of brilliance this game is.