Referring back to what I said at the end of the last entry, I killed the guy I was supposed to be helping and (after a few attempts) killed the guard who I found waiting for me at the local Inn.
The fight with the guard had moved upstairs by the time I finished him off and when I went back down again the barmaid squealed in fright but when I engaged her in conversation she immediately spoke amiably to me and was quickly won round to quite liking me, despite the dead guard on the landing. This is pretty typical of the game but does not spoil it.
Another anomaly is that all trades-people can tell at a glance which items in my pack are stolen, even if I stole them in another town. Guards also have this power.
I've played the game quite a bit now and have been enjoying it. My character has developed a bit and I can just about take on a single guard first time. That applies to a normal guard, anyway. I have entered the realms of madness (I think that's what they're called). I went through the door marked Mania (forgive me if you don't know what this means) and entered a new land. After some travelling and coming up against some new and curious types of enemy I reached the main city. The female guard on the door asked me to relinquish my stolen goods and pay a fine and I decided to resist. She assured me that I would pay with my blood. "I don't think so" I thought, wrongly. I don't think I scratched her before she put me down. I Immediately realised that I had not saved for ages.
On reflection, I'm surprised that law and order is such a big issue in Mania.
I am now taking a break from Oblivion to play a bit of Need for Speed: Pro Street.
This was released in 2007 but the graphics are pretty good considering its age. I've not played very much but the career mode has so far involved racedays, where you race in several events of different kinds. Grip races are basic races against other cars and are probably the most fun. Drag is a short race changing up through the gears and covering a straight section of track in the fastest time possible. Time Attack is clocking the fastest lap and Drift...you're not idiots, you know what drifting is.
I've switched off most of the assists. It's not because I'm brilliant, I'm not, I just don't feel like I'm really doing it myself if I'm being helped with the steering and breaking and if the racing line is marked out on the track. All I've left on is the mini map and the arrow which appears and shows you the direction of the next turn.
The lack of assistance means I'm pretty often getting the corners wrong and this means repairs have to be paid for between races. When you do well you win prizes which are a lucky dip and can include markers for getting repairs done.
In any given raceday you can win with a certain number of points, or dominate with a larger number of points. Races can be repeated if you've not done well, or even if you have, and points seem to be cumulative so if you keep going you will dominate eventually and there are more rewards if you do.
I know this game is going to take up quite a lot of my time for a while. A strong recommend but I'll write more about it next time.
Incidentally, you will probably want to turn off the voice of the raceday announcer.
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