One of my favorite games. Period.
Gameplay - 9
I love the gameplay in this game! It plays like a FPS, but still has those character building elements that make it an RPG. Combat is action-filled, with an almost endless supply of quests. I think I dumped over 60 hours into the game even before I touched the main plotline. Don't get me started on the plotline. It's one game before you touch it, and completely changes the world once you start it.
The one thing I find frustrating, is the varying difficulty. It can be insanely easy in some places, and ridiculously hard in others. I found it especially hard playing a caster, and extremely easy playing a straight fighter. Luckily, Bethesda saw this and implemented a difficulty slider you can adjust on the fly.
Graphics - 10
The first thing that will strike you about this, is the amount of variation in the character creation process. When creating your character, you have probably around a hundred different sliders which adjust your character's appearance.
I started playing this on a 32" Sony CRT. By the time I bought an HDTV, I had already dumped in ~180 hrs. I still pick up the game and play it, because it looks so good! HDTV really shows off this game. The outdoor environments are breathtaking, especially at sunset. Dungeons are, at first, a little too dark. This is obviously by design, though, as torches are plentiful. Seeing the torchlight reflect and highlight surfaces proves the developers intended the game to be played that way.
Sound - 10
Much like going from CRT to HDTV, you have to upgrade to Dolby Digital Surround for this game. It's one thing to hear it on the monural or stereo speakers in your TV, and another to hear it in full Dobly Digital glory. Sounds echo off surfaces realistically, the music perfectly blends with the combat, and character voices ring clear.
One more note on the sound -- you can even tell what direction something is attacking you from via the way the game sounds. Execllent directional sound! Also, ALL the dialogue is done with professional voiceover.
Value - 10
I've already spent 180+ hours... what better value can you ask for? Also, there's a multitude of add-ons out there. I've purchased all of them except for the Orrey, and the Horse Armor. All of them were well worth the money... Especially the Wizard's Tower.
Conclusion
I can't say enough good things about this game. It's everything I could ask for in an RPG. It has a huge world, breathtaking graphics (even a year after the game was released), and the best sound I've heard to date. As I've said before, if you like RPGs this is the Holy Grail. If you're not into RPGs, at least rent or borrow it. We also have an expansion to look forward to in the near future. If you own an Xbox360, don't miss Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion!