Prior to purchasing this game I've seen some negative reviews and I was wondering what really awaits me. I've played Morrowind (superb) and Oblivion (very good), so I had to try Skyrim no matter what.
I must say the game is awesome. The visuals are great, and I found myself admiring the surroundings quite a bit in the first hours of play. The quests are typical of Elder Scrolls games, nothing revolutionary here, but generally they are enjoyable. Character development is also similar to the previous games, but I feel it is closer to Morrowind, which is good - you basically advance in the skills that you use most. Oblivion was a bit weird in that respect.
The weak spot for me was the user interface - it doesn't really fit the lore, and it is clunky. No matter though, you can find an adequate replacement in mods.
Which brings me to another point: tons of mods are available, which let you change how the game looks or works. It is definitely a huge asset, and it is smart of Bethesda to make modding accessible.
For the next edition I would like to see a new graphics engine and improved UI out of the box.