Draws you in and won't let go!
One of the main reasons this game can't keep me enthralled as well as The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind could is because everything in the game levels with you. You don't have the ability to obtain powerful items early on in the game like you could with Morrowind. The reason this annoys me is because Morrowind was a challenging game if one was unprepared. You needed your potions and magic to survive, and when you finally got to the end of that long grueling cave or dungeon there was some marvelous treasure or powerful artifact to show for it. Other than that, nothing bothers me about the game.
Oblivion improves upon the combat system of its predecessors by a significant margin. There's no more missing at point blank range with a battle axe. If its in front of you and reasonably close, you're going to hit it. The magic system is also improved, giving a more accessible interface for crafting your own spells while also removing the chance for your spells to fail to cast. There is now also the ability to fast travel to a location you have visited before, which is a great improvement over Morrowind's half hour walks to get to locations. A compass is also at the bottom of your screen and serves as a compass should while also showing icons that correspond to different types of locations that are nearby (caves, towns, keeps, shrines, etc.)
Onto the gameplay itself now. Oblivion contains a massive world to explore, full of all sorts of quests, dungeons, and unique items to claim for your own. There's almost always something to keep yourself occupied with in the land of Cyrodiil. There are factions to join that allow you to rise from the lowest rank to the head of the faction, with a good story to keep you interested. The game is easy enough to get into, but how you do it is entirely up to you. You are forging your own adventure here, so once you're out of the tutorial introduction you can do as you please.
All in all a good buy. You'll get your moneys worth out of the game, I know I have. If you have even a remote interest in open world RPG type games, please search you local game store and pick this gem up.