Oblivion destroys lives. I should know, I lost most of my summer to this game and around 118 hours later, amazingly I finally got bored. But now Bethesda have released Shivering Isles, a brand new expansion offering near enough 30 hours of new gameplay.

Once you enter the new realm you realise the place is nothing like the planes of Cyrodiil. The landscape is completely different, with a whole host of weird structures. It's also pretty big as well, around 1/3 the size of Cyrodiil, meaning there is plenty of land to explore.

The Shivering Isles is split into two different realms: the realms of Mania and Dementia. Each has its own unique landscape and characters. When you look out into the Isles it is awe-spiring; think of the first time you left the sewers and you get the picture.

The new enemies in the expansion are equally as weird. As you progress through the realm of the Shivering Isles you'll come across enemies such as Grummites, Baliwogs, Hunger's and the giant Gatekeeper; who is Frankenstein's big brother.

The main quest sees you rising through Sheogorath's Court of Madness and defending his realm from his enemies. But aside from this there are also a number of other quests which you can fill your time with. These are given out by the other NPC's in the Isles.

These are similar to the quests in Oblivion in that you are doing the same sorts of things (find this, go here, confront/kill so and so). But these are new and fresh as the ways in which you'll do these tasks will often be different and some of the characters are like nothing you've seen before in Oblivion.

The new quests you encounter can be very very fun. One quest sees you going around the city of New Sheoth, interrogating people about a potential plot (I won't go into too many details). You are accompanied by a man who will on command, torture anyone you tell him to, in an attempt to get more information. Bethesda have really thought of some evil quests In this expansion.

Bethesda has taken advantage of Microsoft's new achievement points increase and offers 10 achievements with the expansion, equalling 250 points. These are rewarded for going up in rank in Lord Sheogorath's Court of Madness.

The game hasn't received a boost in the graphics department but the environments are a lot brighter compared to some places in Cyrodiil. This is especially the case with the night sky in the Shivering Isles, which is an awe-spiring shade of red, which is stark contrast to the sky in Cyrodiil.

The (minor) gripes that were found in Oblivion are also present in the expansion. The NPC's still have rigid faces and are voiced by the same voice actors, with characters such as Sheogorath being the exception. There is also no new music for the expansion, so you're left with the games original score. This isn't that much of a gripe as the games music is fantastic, but if you've gotten bored of it then it could begin to grate.

The loading times are also still present, and the game takes noticeably longer to load up the content when you start the game.

On the subject of Sheogorath, prepare to laugh when speaking to him. Bethesda have done a great job in creating a charismatic, memorable and hilarious character. His self-contradictory nature will have you chuckling throughout your time in the Isles.

You could moan about the price, but when put into perspective it is very reasonable. 2,400 points is around £20 which is £10 less than what the expansion costs on the PC. Some full priced 360 games don't even offer 30 hours of single player gameplay, here's looking at you Gears of War.

Shivering Isles is well worth the 2,400 points. It adds new quests, characters, enemies, weapons, armour, ingredients amounting to over 30 hours of new content. The problems that were in Oblivion are still present, but they are minor and are overlookable just like when you first played the game.

Simply, if you loved Oblivion you'll love this. It's weird, wonderful and oh so very fun.