Each generation of The Elder Scrolls has been an improvement on the last, and the fifth game is the first one to improve to the point of actually being fun to play.

GAME: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

SYSTEM: PC

PRICE: R348

RATING: R18

The game is based 200 years after the events of Oblivion. The Empire is collapsing and the elves are resurgent. The Northern lands are in the middle of a civil war between the loyalists who tried to execute you at the start of the game and xenophobic separatists with Dutch accents.

In the middle of all of this, dragons make a bid to end the world. You are a dragon born to do pretty much the same job as Mario from the Mario Brothers. Simplification has, ironically, left this game feeling much richer than its relatively barren predecessors. By not being able to talk to everyone, you do not get the copy-pasted dialogue feeling. There is some generic feeling to shopkeepers, but it is nowhere near as creepy as the previous games in the series.

Level scaling is done differently, requiring some quick thinking, and fighting the lower-levelled NPCs doesn't feel dull. Combat is easy overall, but using dungeon set-piece traps to kill your enemies can be very satisfying.

THE GOOD

This game comes dangerously close to perfect. It is aesthetically stunning, its combat is fun and the world feels lived in.

THE BAD

Some minor technical glitches, and your companions aren't ideal. For help on installing see www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/452910-installing-skyrim-from-the-dvd

SCORE: 9/10