ZapMcRaygunn: There are some newer games with a similar level of interactivity, but this was the first to really give you a whole living island to enjoy, and it feels more like a vacation than a game.
Firebrand9: I have to ask also; what games?
Well to answer both of you, as far as any that have that level of interactivity, not many yet, although the next one will likely be Shroud of the Avatar (Lord British and Tracy Hickman are likely to be an awesome team). However, the Elder Scrolls games do contain a certain level of interactivity and individual schedules. The first time I played Skyrim, I walked into a farm house and chatted with the farmer and his wife who excused herself and went to sleep while I was in her house.
That's a pretty good approximation of an UVII style character schedule. Still, even Skyrim doesn't have the feel UVII has.
Another game that has a lot of interactivity and character schedules is Gothic II, although it also has a very high level of difficulty.
Hopefully, with this new world of Indies coming our way, some indie developers will create an isometric UVII type engine that will have the interactivity of the original. I don't think the major studios will do another UVII type game. SOTA gives me the most hope since VII was Dr. Garriott's favorite, and as far as a good story, Mr. Hickman is truly a master storyteller, as anyone who has read his body of work can attest.