You're roaming about the center of Riften minding your own dirty business, trying to pickpocket a diamond from an innocent law abiding citizen, you hear a roar from the heavens, a blast of [...]

I once had a brief conversation with a colleague regarding medieval times. As it turns out we both had similar romanticized ideas, visions of dashing knights, saucy wenches and pointy castles perched high up on misty mountain peaks.

An immense; organic; living gameworld; Believable characters; quests and narrative threads worth caring about; Incredible scope to how you mold your Skyrim experience; Dragons

Loading when entering or exiting a building can become annoying; Character animation not as good as it could have been

After drooling over the collector's edition strategy guide, I open up my copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and dive into it headfirst. I quickly learn in the beginning of the game that I'm a prisoner that's been sentenced to death and before being executed, an exciting and terrifying scene takes...

Skyrim is completely and utterly addictive in every aspect and quite possibly, I'll say it, the greatest RPG of all time. It affords you the luxury of playing it your way and doesn't try to constrain you. It wants you to get lost in a winter wonderland and believe me, you will.

Listen to fans of Bethesda's fantasy RPG series wax rhapsodic about past deeds in Tamriel, and you might expect celestial horns to accompany the latest Elder Scrolls game. Perhaps the heavens should celebrate: Skyrim deserves every last note of jubilant fanfare.

+ Huge and beautiful world of rich culture, rewarding quests, and unpredictable encounters, + Eminently versatile and entertaining combination of melee, magic, stealth, and ranged combat, + Epic battles against fearsome dragons; flexible skill progression; deep crafting systems

? Why can't you jump while sprinting

The defining element of Skyrim is the choices that are given to players in every conceivable way. Weapon upgrades, character development, storyline progress, solving quests, exploration, NPC interaction, are all impressively crafted elements that almost feel like separate games molded into one...

A detailed and beautiful-looking world with so many secrets you are left to discover when and how you wish; great story and characters keep you interested in the game; a brilliant soundtrack and good voiceovers; solid side-quests; commendable variety in gameplay mechanics that leads to virtually...

Encountering dragons randomly in the world gets a bit dull sometimes; friendly AI behaves awkwardly; other minor technical issues

A monumental achievement from top to bottom , The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim stands as one of the greatest interactive experiences ever created.

Incomparable detail in world; Quests are plentiful and meaningful; Combat is visceral

Difficulty can spike dramatically; Loads can become obtrusive

Shout goodbye to your free time

Fantastic skill and perk levelling system; No more random conversations; Impossible amounts to do; Atmospheric; beautiful world; Improved combat

A fiddly UI and shortcut system

The province of Skyrim might be frigid, but the role-playing game that takes place within it burns with a fire few games possess. In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you take up arms against dragons, and your encounters with them are invariably exciting--yet depending on where your adventure takes you,...

Immense world stuffed with varied tasks to perform; Dragon battles are a blast; Lovely art design capped by some beautiful; atmospheric touches; Enjoyable battles that you can approach in a variety of ways; Lots of compelling; self-contained stories to experience in addition to the main one

Glitches and bugs frequently disrupt the immersion; Friendly AI is often more of a hindrance than a help

Skyrim is the rare gaming experience that may come along only once in the life of a console. Bethesda's carefully crafted world is utterly encapsulating, irresistibly compelling, and a blissful place to spend hundreds and hundreds of hours. The attention to detail in this land is astounding.

Consistently compelling quests; Rich; convincing world design; Combat is more visceral

A.I; could use an overhaul