Fantasy Game Wins Joystick Awards

Next-generation role-playing game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has scooped the "Ultimate Game of the Year Award" at this year's Golden Joysticks.

The fantasy game also picked up "Game of the Year" for both the Xbox and PC at the ceremony in central London.

The awards, now in their twenty-fourth year, are awarded in 16 categories and are voted for by UK gamers.

Other winners included Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City stories on the PSP for "Handheld Game of the Year".

The win for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of the game means that the Grand Theft Auto series has scooped a Golden Joystick Award for the last five years running.

The Golden Joysticks are among the most prestigious awards UK games can win. More than half a million gamers voted for this years awards, with the runaway favourite being Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The game, from Bethesda Softworks, follows a quest to find the rightful heir to the throne of the fantasy world of Tamriel.

The stunning visuals and beautifully rendered landscapes of the game have won it high praise. Even at its launch earlier this year, some commentators predicted that it would scoop the Game of the Year award.

The single-player game has also been lauded for its non-linear style, allowing gamers to wander around the huge virtual world and interact with more than 1,000 "intelligent" characters, that can even engage in unscripted speech.

The next generation title is currently available on the Xbox 360 and PC and will also be a launch title for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) when the console finally goes on sale later this year.

Other multi-award winners at this years ceremony included Nintendo's Nintendogs, which won the Family Game and Girls Choice awards.

The virtual-dog rearing game has been a surprise hit, selling more than 160,000 copies across Europe in its first weekend.

The game, for the Nintendo DS handheld, lets owners train and care for lifelike puppies using the handheld's touch screen and microphone.

Nintendo scored another hit with the relaunch of the popular Mario series: New Super Mario Bros.

The massive selling platform title, also for the DS, shifted half a million copies in less than a month in the US.

But the awards do not just reward games. Microsoft's online offering, Xbox Live Marketplace that allows gamers to buy and download demos and movie trailers, won the best innovation award.

The long awaited PlayStation 3, due for launch in the US and Japan in November and March 2007 in Europe, picked up the One to Watch for 2007 award.

Tomb Raider icon Lara Croft, celebrating a decade as the first lady of gaming, snatched the Favourite Character Award.