Sheer RPG joy the likes of which I have never known.
If you have a girlfriend or a wife or young children to look after you are in big trouble. You are about to neglect your loved ones to a criminal extent and you could soon find yourself murmuring alone in a dark room “I found the precious”
To summarize: Elder Scrolls is a cross between the long forgotten: Fairy Tale (for the Amiga Computer), a first person shooter, Diablo, and GTA. This is the most replay value you will ever get from an offline single player RPG. The character creation options alone are staggering. I literally spent an hour customizing my first toon, only to spend another 20 minutes adjusting him after breaking out of the sewer. Sheer RPG joy the likes of which I have never known.
Honestly, the world of Oblivion is so dynamic and so open ended its easy to picture playing this game off and on for years to come. I could write volumes about its epic scope, diverse quests, huge spell arsenal, and top-notch voice acting.
I could gripe about dipping frame rates, random crashes, or frequent (but usually quick) loading. But at the end of the day it never distracts much from the enchanting atmosphere of the game world. Forth coming patches should fix the technical problems anyway.
Bottom Line: In my top 10 favorite games ever made.