Im trying to get into this game as it seems, basically, exactly the kind of time wasting wonderfulness i enjoy so much, and its still several months til I can burn a year or so in Skyrim.. The trouble is I...basically cant do anything related to moving.

So, the questions: What is a keyboard/mouse layout that will allow me to navigate this world without insanity; specificly, strafing vs turning and looking up and down in an appropriate manner. By this i mean...in the tutorial dungeon there are stairs. If I cant adjust my look up on the fly, all i can see on stairs. and adjusting my view using the PgUP and PgDown buttons doesnt work, as it needs to be re-aligned with each step. If I try to check an enemy for items, i have to do this as well, taking the time to try and position myself in EXACTLY the right spot.

The other is, well, how exactly do I use magic? It seems to be the sameas the attack button but i cant be sure.

The game seems great but im hoenstly quite tired of having my head handed to me because i ran out magic or couldnt turn my head in time to find the rat that i wouldnt hae seen anyway without looking down.

Any help at all with this issues and you'll have my gratitude eternal.

There are any number of ways to configure the controls. I use the following:

FCVB (Forward, turn left, reverse, turn right) (Some like WASD as in other games but then you have to change a lot more settings).

GHY (look up, look down, center view)

To cast a spell (spcbar?) double click on the spell in the the spellbook. If the spell requires a target you MUST be within range when you activate (left click) the spell or you'll just lose mana.

Crouching (D) is very useful when checking enemies for items as well as fighting rats.

Look into the "Controls" tab when pressing Escape to get the menu.
Here you can re-assign keys to what you prefer. (Aside from the WASD keys,I use a combination of Morrowind and Oblivion controls for Activation, Menus, Inventory, Journal, Spell Casting, etc.)

Then, in the Mouse tab, check the option "View Based" mode. This allows you to look up, down and around you with the mouse rather than going with the archaic keyboard keys.
Then you'll be set up.

To use magic, open your spellbook and activate the spell of your choice. If it's an offensive spell, the game will pause and you have to click on where you want to cast the spell. Otherwise the spell will be automatically applied if it's a "On Self" effect like Levitation.