Just the RPG to play this year, but not so if you don't like Bugs.
Gameplay
Skyrim, for those who haven't paid much attention to it or the prequels, is a traditional RPG where we take the role of a character that plays through a main plot, taking it to the conclusion. This isn't a straight line of quests though as we have an open world environment which allows the player to explore, interact and weave their own story and experience through side quests and the progression they bring.
The basic gaming mechanic is standard for the genre with WASD moving our character on PC, left stick on the consoles. We have a button for jump, others for firing weapons (or casting spells) and we can enter a menu system for detailed control of our attributes or to access maps and the like. These controls and the requirement to complete the main quests are really the only standard aspects of Skyrim though as the opening to the game allows us to take on different character attributes and from there we are free to play in our own style.
Graphics and Sound
As PC seems to be the format of choice for our gamers that is what we are going to focus on in this section and the general feel, and it seems to universally be the case, is that there are aspects of the default Skyrim configuration which are gorgeous to look at and far superior to Oblivion. Breath-taking scenery for example but that said the experience is not consistent and the game filled with low resolution textures and less than spectacular artwork on the NPC faces or less than impressive blood and plant images.
"A game with some minor quirks and flaws, but for the price and hours of joy you can take out of it, an amazing experience and my GOTY"... "It's a living world"... "So far Skyrim has been a really good experience and will soak up many more idle hours of my life, without regret"... "the Graphics...are astounding!"..." a living breathing work of art".