Phone into work sick, dump your girlfriend - Skyrim is here and as any fan of the Elder Scrolls saga knows, your social life is about to be put on hold, writes Tom Lees.

The massive roleplaying epic is has swooped down from a time gone by and it certainly will not dissapoint fans of the genre, Skyrim is bigger and better than all of its predecessors and its attention to detail is quite simply insane!

You need only to brake into a unsuspecting citizens home to be able to read books several pages long (should you really, really have nothing better to do), or steal pointless objects just to piss them off.  But most of this need not apply to your average gamer as the main questline alone is enough to keep one occupied for days on end before you even begin on the side quests, all 416 of them... soon to be more.

Those new to the genre will definitely seem at a loss at first as the vastness of the world is somewhat overwhelming and as not to distract from the reality of the game there are few guidelines; I for one found myself wandering aimlessly over mountain peaks before being bashed over the head by a troll on several occasions.

However don’t throw your controller/keyboard at your dog just yet because you will soon pick it up and figure out how to get around the world more efficiently, as it can truely be very tedious at first.

Rest assured with a little patience you’ll soon find yourself as a Wizard, warrior or thief playing the game your own way as there and making decisions throughout that affect the game as a whole.

There are one of two factions you can join early on in the game; The Stormcloak who are the bear wrestling barbarians rebelling against; The Imperials, the tyranous leaders of Skyrim, a pretty simple choice to make.

Soon enough you’ll find yourself exploring caves, slaying dragons and progressing through the game with more and more confidence, always remember to save regularly and use initiative as all is not handed to you like in most games these days.  Attacking keeps, pillaging, magic, enchanting, cooking, potion making, hacking, slicing, burning; Skyrim is a masterpiece in all senses of the word.

Once your done simply admiring the vast beauty of the games landscapes you can really get stuck in to an epic, comparable with any film or book.

All it asks for in return is your skill, patience but above everything, time.

100% worth it.