Both are good, but Witcher 2 is much better. It eliminates most of the weaknesses of the first game. And looks beautiful. Fights are amazing, plot is quite good. One of the best RPG games since Baldur's Gate era.

In my opinion - Witcher = 7+/10, Witcher 2 = 9/10. Of course you should start from the beginning, but If you've passed the first one already - your adventure definietly should continue ;)

I'd recommend The Witcher games to literally anyone who enjoys video games.

I don't really play RPGs. I like shooters, strategy, and adventure games.
I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre, either. I like sci-fi, modern, and historical settings.
I don't really like games with an over-the-shoulder camera perspective either. (I think The Witcher has 3 cameras to choose from, but I liked OTS the best.)

But after reading some really good reviews, and watching a few gameplay videos, I decided to give it a try. It instantly became one of my favorite games. And The Witcher 2 was even better.
These games are an anomaly in my game collection that is dominated by FPS and RTS games.

I found the first to be way more enjoyable than the second and I was quite disappointed I couldn't play in "casual" mode like in the first. I also found the sex scenes to be just plain stupid...what's the point? The cards in the first Witcher were a lot more tasteful.

That's my robust and informed opinion on the matter.

I thought the exact opposite. I thought the cards in TW1 were really out of place, and just kinda... creepy. I dunno, collecting "sex cards" just felt really weird to me. The artwork was great, though.

I thought the sexuality in the second game was handled better. Instead of collecting cards as trophies of your sexual triumphs, the sex scenes in TW2 felt more like they happened naturally with the story.

That's my probably less informed opinion. (I've only played each game once. My opinions may change during multiple playthroughs, as they do for all games.)

[WITCHER 2 SPOILERS!]
I mean, if I were trapped underground with someone with no way out, and we had the hots for eachother... It just made sense to me.
[SPOILERS END]