Possibly the best game ever made.
The realism, the open world, the real time effects, the graphics are beautiful. The quests are great and there are so many of them that this game has infinate replay value, I could beat this game with every class and still love it. This is like the amazing Baulders Gate and Icewind games but on a whole new even more realistic level with infinate possabilites. I could just walk threw the woods in this game for hours a look at the lush enviroments because it's so breathtaking and real looking. Game play is great, the classes, character building and multi-classing as well as naming your own class and created weapons etc is great and adds that much more realism to this great game. I will be playing this game for a long long time, I have haulted playing GOW, Dark Messiah, Quake Wars, Manhunt, WWE, Viking and many other recently bought titles to play and explore this wonderful game. The even better thing is with this version of the game you get the two add ons as well for even more gaming which goes deeper into this magical world. I hope we get more of these amazing games, we need a Forgotten Realms game like this one an Icewind Dale with create your own party. The open world concept is amazing, real time, and real encounters with open enviroments. I never thought the writings of R.A. Salvadore or J.R. Tolkien would ever come to life better than Baulders Gate 1/2 or Icewind Dale 1/2 but Elder Scrolls Obilivion surpasses them all by miles. Best game ever made from an fantasy RPG standpoint. This gets better as you play it, and with each class, multi-class or created class of character there are whole news avenues to explore. I will play this for years to come. Multi-player in this would have been amazing too.

Highly recommended traditional fantasy
I'm a huge fan of single-player games. And this is the best. Traditional fantasy setting with castles, dungeons, goblins and etc. With enough strange stuff (daedra, and other creatures) to keep it original.

There are no arbitrary limitations. My main character wears heavy armor and sneaks around. Though he wasn't very effective at the sneaking until reaching much higher levels. The point is that you can have combinations that aren't allowed in other RPGs as long as you are willing to accept any penalties until your character develops all his skills.

A lot of great quest lines through the guilds that are mini games in themselves. A lot of surprises in the wilderness and in towns. The alchemy system is easy to follow and use. Even though my character is always decked out in heavy armor and can sneak around adequately, he could also cast spells. But as I said there is a trade-off. The spells I cast are basic, but enough to get me through tough scrapes. If I want more powerful magics, I just need to start training it up.

So character options are practically limitless. But you can also play as a straight-up fighter, mage, or rogue type. This gives even more replay-ability.

Very stable. The game has frozen on me twice with many months of game play behind me. Both times was right after I saved, so nothing lost.

The only thing I wish was the ability to create more characters and have control over them - a la Baldur's Gate. The game does give limited control over having a few allies, but it is very difficult to outfit them. The game was not designed to have a party of adventrurers, however.

Fun
This game has an excellent environment to explore. The religious references and darkness of the main storyline gets a bit old and disturbing at times. Toward the endgame, nothing really rewarding happens. There is nothing new to apply your wealth or new abilities. Overall the game is a lot of fun for those who like quests.

Almost rivals World of Warcraft.
This game almost rivals World of Warcraft. It keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time. I do wish, though that you could play with other players at the same time. I would reccomend that you purchase the guide book to go along with it as it is a great help with it's maps of the dungeons and gates and the different guides through the quests. Sometimes they can be confusing. Other than that, It's a great game.

not for the faint
this game will tax on your energy, and is virtully impossible to beat due to the longevity of the game. from the start of the game you have choices too many choices of which you don't know how it will affect the outcome of the game. i gave it three stars because it is still a great game just not my style. if you are not an avid rpg player this games not for you