Oblivion: Shivering Isles review (PC)

When you disregard smaller concerns about tough system requirements, expensive armour for in-game horses and more serious problems like monsters following you everywhere to ensure a lengthy challenge, Oblivion is a masterpiece and will be remembered as such.

Following a couple of patches, Bethesda's massive RPG shines even brighter than its predecessors, pushing the standards for RPGs on the PC platform. Even so long after the game's release, I find myself sitting gazing lovingly at much of the scenery. And many of the NPCs are, despite their limitations, a lot more alive than equal attempts in every other game.

An expansion pack has always been planned. Despite Bethesda drip feeding us with minor expansion packagers, many gamers were left wanting a regular large expansion of the game's universe. Your prayers have been answered. Shivering Isles is an expansion that makes many stand-alone games look like a joke.

Sheer madness

But instead of playing it safe with simply a new region to honour video game customs – that being a giant forest, an ice-covered mountain region or a nation of vampires - Bethesda has plunged tself into absolute madness for inspiration.

When you install the expansion pack, a gate to Shivering Isles is opened from Cyrodiil. Shivering Isles is split into two dimensions: the colourful Mania and the dark Dementia. Your mission is to help the Daedric Prince Sheogorath by stopping a mysterious plague called Greymarch from threatening his kingdom called The Realm of Madness.

It is possible to step through the gate to the world of Sheogorath at any point during the game, so it's safe to say that Bethesda's levelling-system is an advantage to the gamer. However, it also means that you're still incapable of killing large monsters as a level one player. It makes most sense to travel to Shivering Isles with a character you've played a lot in the regular Oblivion, but you're free to choose.

The expansion pack is clearly meant as an antidote to the regular forests, caves and grey cities of the original. And as a new player you certainly won't have had enough of the regular game. However, most of the people buying the expansion pack have played the regular game extensively and are seeking a new fix for their addiction.

Something else, not something better

You might be somewhat disappointed in the beginning if you're looking for new features in this expansion pack. Shivering Isles works just like the rest of the game. You quickly discover the massive amount of new content in the theme and storyline of the game.

Sheogorath is quite mad and as his henchman you are often sent on quite bizarre quests. The peculiar characters and subplots of the game seem quite forced and less fun, but overall, it works quite well as a contrast to the serious tone of the regular game. It's a bit easy to become fed up with Sheogorath himself, but his world is wonderful to look at and obviously affected by his personality. Fortunately, it doesn't always speak like him; otherwise this review would have been a bit more negative.

Shivering Isles isn't a small place either. It’ll take about 20 hours to complete the interesting primary story, although some of the missions seem a bit one-dimensional, just as you run quite a bit back and forth between Mania and Dementia. There's always something to do, however. Several submissions, new equipment, crafting materials and new spells to play with, alongside the joy of exploring.

I personally think that Shivering Isles is a more interesting place than most of the regular Oblivion, and it's a joy to see what waits around the next corner. The official roll call of new content says the expansion features 32 new ingredients, 10 new monsters, 9,500 lines of dialogue, 200 new weapons and 80 kinds of armours and clothes.

To cut to the chase, the expansion is worth all the money for all fans of the regular game. Many of the fundamental problems haven't been solved, but honestly, this game has always been so impressive to me that I can live with the smaller bugs. And Shivering Isles with its mad content is basically an added spice to a dish worthy of several Michelin stars.

A classic expansion pack

Some players might not be so impressed by Shivering Isles with the graphical wow-factor fading, but you can't deny this being a solid piece of work, and the idea of making the content this insane borders on the brilliant.

My only real problem with Shivering Isles is the not-so-great mission structure and how the worlds of Sheogorath seem a bit more dead than the regular game - despite the beauty of the new world. As a supplement to Cyrodiil, however, they work great.