Review: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Put simply, Oblivion has one of the best combat systems ever devised. You don't stand there swapping blows ad nauseum with your opponent or swinging like a madman and waiting for them to die. No, in Oblivion, each fight is a unique experience.

Sure, blocking works like one would expect it to - raise shield, take blow, damage mitigated - except it doesn't always work. Depending on your Block skill, you'll either block the hit entirely or take a reduced amount of damage. Blocking also serves to protect you from stunning attacks, which occur with surprising frequency. You don't even need a shield to block. Although inferior, you can deflect blows with a sword hilt or the broad side of an axe.

As previously mentioned, you don't kill your enemies by attacking like a psycho. While the option is there, you'll get fatigued quicker than Marlon Brando in a triathlon. Fatigue directly impacts the amount of damage you do, so pacing yourself will give you good balance of damage done to effort expended. The option is also available to take deliberate attacks that deal more damage by holding down the mouse button, but these will leave you open to faster-hitting enemies.

Weapons and armour are subject to deterioration and their effectiveness lessens as they lose durability. It's therefore wise to keep one or two backup weapons on your person. Obviously, someone with the Armourer skill can make field repairs, as long as they have hammers to do it with. Additionally, as your skill increases in Light and Heavy Armour, your ability to reduce the rate at which they fall apart increases.

Spell casting is also a major component of combat, and even the most hardcore of melee fighters will resort to a healing spell or two to keep them going. For the dedicated magic user, you'll find that opponents quickly close the distance between you and them, meaning long-range magical bombardment is out of the question, at least for the majority of combat. Because of this, touch-based spells see a lot more use, and a well-timed Frost Touch can turn the tide of battle better than 20 sword swipes. The special effects for all spells border on magnificent, and the first time you blow a rat across a room with a fireball you'll be anxious to find even more rats to enforce your flaming subjugation on.

Ice burned through the daedroth's torso, tearing inhuman flesh from demonic bone, killing the monster immediately. It crumpled at my feet, its mace tumbling from its hand.

I stood their in shock for a few moments, recovering from the brief insanity of near death. I started breathing again, and hastily scavenged what I could from the monster's corpse. A few gold pieces were my reward.

I looked around quickly. There had to be more.

The chamber, almost organic in appearance with its slick, curved and bloodied walls and moist, soft floor was completely bare. If it hadn't been for the burning, orange-white fire in the centre of the room, I would never have noticed the chest secreted away in one corner.

As I knelt down to open it I was greeted by a rusted metal lock that I knew would dull the edge of my axe long before it would give. Groaning, I took a lockpick from my belt pouch and faced my second trial of the day.