Back in the 1990s, when the Elder Scrolls series first appeared on the market, serious PC games were known to come with maps, art, a bauble or two, and an instruction booklet that could (in case of emergency) double as a bludgeoning weapon. Bethesda is keeping part of the tradition alive, with the announcement of a map free with pre-orders of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

This isn't a "map" in the modern sense of an extra in-game area that will be sold to suckers later at a premium price. Rather, it's a physical map of the world, printed for your reference and geeky enjoyment. Probably more the latter than the former, since in-game maps are just more handy.

The company calls it a "premium quality" map, and invokes the words of studio head Todd Howard from an old blog post: "There's something about having a physical object in your hands that feels like it's part of this other world, that you are that person in the game, finding your way among the hills."