Whether you enjoy RPG games or no Oblivion will most likely float your boat (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion / Elder Scrolls 4 (PC))

Member Name: CloudRuler

Product:	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion / Elder Scrolls 4 (PC)
Date:	01/09/08 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphics, storyline, gameplay, sound, length

Disadvantages: No real replay value unless you missed out some side missions

I was first introduced to Elder Scrolls when I received Morrowind free with my graphics card so having enjoyed it I decided to give Oblivion a go.

The graphics are clearly far superior to those of Morrowind and the games is more structured. In Morrowind I found myself getting lost because I wasn't sure where I should be going and considering the amount of walking you had to do it was quite annoying to find out I had then reached the wrong city. Neither of these things are a problem in Oblivion. Your quests are clearly logged for you to check up on and if you get sick of walking or riding to towns, once you have visited them you can click on them on your map to travel there (time passes but you don't have to take you character through it).

The world in Oblivion is vast and the number of quests is quite high. Not only does the main quest have a substantial number of sections, there are so many side quests that you may accidentally miss some out. The side quests aren't little 5-10 minute quests either, they're usually very detailed and will take you just as long as the main quest sections.

As there are so many NPCs it can become a little tiresome to hear the same phrases over again but you probably won't notice it until you're a fair way through the game as there is a range of dialogue. The problem is that because the game will take so long to complete you'll have heard the same phrases quite a few times. I would have preferred more unique phrases for the NPCs and more interaction with NPCs that are normal townspeople i.e. not those that give you quests.

The controls on PC cannot be faulted, it's very easy to find everything you want to use. You will run into more monsters in Oblivion than Morrowind so the controls are key, you need to be able to switch to combat quickly. Due to this you'll also have to save much more frequently than in Morrowind as the monsters level up with you which does place great emphasis on how you spend your points.

Overall it's certainly an improvement on Morrowind both in terms of graphics and gameplay. You will however need a very good graphics card to run Oblivion if you want it to be smooth. As far as replay value goes, the game is so expansive that completing all of it just once is like to take you at least a few weeks and you're not likely to play it all the way through again. Although it's by no means perfect it is enthralling and just edges closer to 5 stars than 4.

Summary: You'll get hours of play out of this, immersive, enjoyable play so it's certainly worth the money