Morrowind is one of the best RPG’s I’ve played in a long time. Although it's no competition for the Final Fantasy series, Morrowind will still keep you playing for hours at a time. In the game, “Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind,” you have the freedom to do whatever you want. The game is set up on an island called Morrowind, where you’re released from prison, by order of the king. It’s a medieval fantasy type game; something that would make Tolkien proud. You’re told of an ancient prophecy, in which a Nerevarine frees the land from plague, blah blah blah.

It’s the same tired “Hero saves us all” story. But what really makes you want to play is the lack of restrictions. I often run around town, killing whomever I please. Of course, there are guards everywhere, whom will give you an option of turning yourself in, and going to jail, or of dying by their sword. I tell them to beg for mercy. There are hundreds upon hundreds of things you can do, such as creating your own class, for instance. You have plenty of races to choose from, skills you can use, and that sort.

In most RPG’s you’re stuck with one weapon that you choose. In Morrowind, you’re supposed to use different weapons. I find that I prefer the Long Bow/two handed sword combination myself. There’s also the ability to create your own spells. That’s right, you can create your own spells, with a catch, of course. You can only use spells you already know, and there’s a certain limit to how strong your spell can be, based upon your intelligence.

Now, I happen to have a few certain cheats that help me to increase my stats past five thousand, so I don’t have to worry about those petty limitations. It’s always fun to sit in the middle of town, and cast a spell you just made. A spell that does fire, electric, and ice damage, killing everything within a 50-foot radius instantly; one of the many simple pleasures of the game. Now, if you get bored slaughtering innocents, and pillaging their bodies, you can always do quests.

There are tons of people out on the road who you’ll meet, who will have some sort of task for you. Some are as simple as delivering a letter, while others become as dangerous as entering a tomb of the damned. And, if you get frustrated, and decide you don’t want to do the quest anymore, you don’t have to; if you ever want to try the quest again later, it’ll be written down in your journal, so you never have to worry about forgetting. I could never finish long-term quests; I’d get frustrated and kill the person who gave the quest to me.

Now, there are certain people in the game you need to keep alive, but I’ll let you figure out whom yourself. The game will give you a friendly notice once you’ve killed such a person. “With the death of this character, the prophecy has been destroyed. Restart from a save point or continue in the doomed world you’ve created.” Got to love those game designers; always giving you such hope. The only true downfall I could find in the game was finding the places for quests; but the game provides a fully detailed map of the world, so you really need not worry. If you’re in the mood for a Grand Theft Auto style medieval game, this is a must buy. I rate it a 4 out of 5.

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