Previews

Just when you thought your obsession with all things scaly and shouty had finally come to an end, along comes Skyrim: Dragonborn to flame grill your life all over again. And this time, you'd better saddle up because you're going airborne.

The big selling point for this epic chunk of DLC (or as they used to be called in t'good old days, 'expansion packs') is that you can clamber aboard a dragon and take to the skies above the island of Solstheim, just off the coast of Morrowind. Yes, Morrowind (smelling salts for veterans of Elder Scrolls please, matron!). Imagine the Isle of Wight - but with volcanoes, giant mushroom houses and, erm, tentacles. More interesting than Cowes Week then.

Drawing you to these shiny new shores is Miraak, the first ever Dragonborn whose idea of saying 'Hark fellow warrior and kindred spirit' is to try to have your spine ripped out through your ear canal. Touching down on the island where this stroppy chap aims to unleash his hellish powers reveals a fully-fleshed/scaled DLC with a main quest to stop the malevolent Miraak. Most importantly, there are also bucket loads of side quests to indulge in, new dungeons to plunder, fresh enemies to shoot in the knee, and new materials and Dragon Shouts to master. Oh, and of course, that opportunity to ride on a dragon.

Now, you don't actually control the dragon - sadly recreating scenes from Top Gun by performing dangerous flybys of the game's main town of Raven Rock isn't on the menu. Instead, clamber on and the dragon will launch itself into the sky, allowing you to target enemies to unleash fire or ice on. And that's fine by us.

The upshot of all this content is what many Skyrim fans have been waiting for - a full-blown campaign that comes close to matching the much-loved Shivering Isles expansion pack of yesteryear (more smelling salts, matron!). It boasts several hours of campaign play, but critically, the opportunity to spend days, perhaps even months lost in a new world (all over again), exploring its many secrets and locales. In other words, it's everything that made you fall in love with Skyrim in the first place. So what are you waiting for? Santa? Pah, why wait, Dragonborn?