Hi diehards.

I've just found in the bottom of a drawer a couple of Morrowind installation discs by Red Ant Enterprises - main folders are dated 27/4/2002. I've a vague recollection of installing this and firing it up long, long ago but being a newbie to computer games I very quickly became overwhelmed by the vastness of the game and gave up on it. Being now a bit more experienced (and longer in the tooth) I'm thinking of giving it another go but can anyone tell me:

1. Will it run under Windows 7? My current gaming machine could, I suspect, run Morrowind under XP in a VirtualBox without breaking a sweat but I really, really don't want to go there.

2. Is the base game improved by adding the two expansions before embarking on it or can they be left for later if I get that far (I don't have them so will have to buy and download them).

3. Are there patches available still? If so which ones do I need?

4. I see there are Mods galore - which given availability would you recommend to improve the graphics/general playability, rather than create new challenges/complexities etc?

Thanks

1. I (and others too) run it under Win7 without hassle, so I don't think you have to worry about that.

2. Yes, the expansions do improve the base game in several ways and are worth it. (improved journal for example)

3. Been forever since I had to install it (I just never uninstall) but I think the GOTY edition doesn't need patching, but the base game does if you don't have the expansions (bloodmoon at least). Someone with a better memory will probably post with more info on that part.

4. For mods 101, I recommend looking in the http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1305729-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/ thread. Best starting point. Do consider that not having the expansions will prevent you from using many many mods.

Edit: Almost forgot: A warm welcome to you! Have a http://images.uesp.net/c/c4/Fishystick.jpg.

Thanks for that.

Morrowind GOTY is still available from my usual games retailer for NZ$14.99, which would hardly break the bank but I wasn't going to spend that if it wasn't playable under Win7. However I guess that would be an easier option than nstalling the original discs then the expansions then patches etc.

Truth is I remembered Morrowind when I read about Skyrim, which sounds interesting, but then there's Oblivion, too, I understand that stands between them (III, IV and V?). Is Skyrim 'improved' if you come to it from the elder Elder Scrolls or is each game a stand-alone?