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For die-hard RPG fans, the ultimate role playing game is one where you are drawn into another world, your alter-ego living life unconstrained by a linear story line or character class restrictions. Games offering such scope and flexibility are few and far between, so when one does come along everything else tends to go by the wayside.

Work, relationships - even basic human requirements such as sleep and nutrition; all have been known to suffer with the release of a truly great RPG. With three epic-length Elder Scrolls titles under their belt (plus a number of expansions and spin-offs), and a reputation for delivering on their motto: "Live another life, in another world", expectations were understandably high for developer Bethesda Softworks' latest foray into the land of Tamriel: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Set in the province of Cyrodiil at the heart of the continent, the story behind Oblivion opens within the final hours of Emperor Uriel Septim's life (to which you bear witness), and the chaos following his assassination at the hand of a mysterious, sinister cult. Oblivion gates - portals to a hellish realm with equally hellish inhabitants, begin to open across the land. It is up to you to find the Emperor's lost heir and close the gates to Oblivion before it all turns to custard. Once again, the fate of Tamriel rests in your hands!

As far as the learning curve is concerned, those that have played The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on the Xbox will find the controls reassuringly familiar. Newcomers should allow at least an hour to become well acquainted with them. There are some subtle differences to both gameplay and menu options, some of which have been simplified or omitted on the Xbox 360. For example, your character cannot move at a walking pace; he either runs or sneaks. However, this does not mean it is a dumbed-down version of the PC version. The Xbox 360 controller is a pleasure to use - especially if you've gone wireless, and guarantees many more hours of cramp-free playing than you would get hunched over a keyboard. Having said that, typed commands via keyboard are the easiest means to fix bugs involving missing quest items or NPCs.

Initial steps in the character creation process involve choosing race, gender and appearance. After spending as much - or as little - time as you like moulding and tweaking your character's facial features, the adventure begins with him or her languishing in a prison cell in the Imperial City, the seat of the empire's power in Tamriel. The remaining character creation steps include the option to create your own custom class from scratch, as well as selecting from a sizeable bank of preset classes. A basic tutorial is cleverly woven into your escape - along with the first threads of the game's main quest, and by the time you emerge from the city sewers your character has at least some idea of how to fight, cast spells, and use the inventory. How you choose to play the game from that point is entirely up to you.

Join any - or all - of the four factions (fighter, mage, thief, assassin), completing a series of lesser quests to work your way up the chain of command. Become a jack of all trades or master a select few. Display your fighting prowess in the arena, earn yourself a glorious reputation as a hero... or one of infamy as a notorious criminal. Explore all of Cyrodiil on foot if you like, discovering the many ancient ruins, shrines, caves and other locations of interest. On your travels you might wish to collect ingredients to make your own potions. Buy a house - one in every city if you've got the money, and haggle with shop keepers over the cost of its furnishings.

At the heart of the game lies a compelling main quest, which you can complete at your leisure or ignore if you prefer. While the events which took place in Morrowind, Daggerfall and Arena do provide a certain amount of background and colour to the latest Elder Scrolls game - and fans will appreciate the occasional reference to them - they are not directly connected to the storyline in Oblivion. You can learn much of Tamriel's history from books and documents found in the game, as well as snippets of information gleaned from NPCs.

Speaking of NPCs, thanks to the much-hyped Radiant AI, they now have lives and schedules of their own. NPCs can now eat, sleep, work, hold conversations with each other, flee from confrontation, go drinking or hunting in their spare time - even travel to other cities to visit friends. Ordinarily this would make life more difficult for your character, since many of the quests involve finding a certain NPC, but with the aid of your onscreen 'magic' compass and map markers, tracking down your target's location becomes child's play. For the discerning role player this removes much of the exploration element which made previous ES titles so appealing.

The standard modes of transport from Morrowind: silt striders, shipping routes - even the Mages Guild teleportation service - have all gone, however travelling cross-country is a simple matter with the introduction of fast travel. Provided you've been there in person once before, you can go to any location on the map in a matter of seconds - although game time elapses as if you'd walked or ridden the route. Purists may prefer not to use fast travel since there is zero chance of hostile encounters or discovering places of interest. A happy medium is available for those who like taking the scenic route, but who'd rather not walk. Yes, the horse is back (minus the cart, so you can't use it to carry your loot), and you can buy or steal one from any of the city stables.