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The steady drip of Skyrim information continues with a breakdown of the game’s menu system, which has effectively discarded the existing Oblivion and Fallout 3/New Vegas models.  Director Todd Howard stated that they looked to Apple’s UIs for inspiration, and the result is a radial interface with different directions bringing the player to subsections.

From the main compass menu, pressing down shows the map of the region.  This has the usual functions of tracking quest markers and giving access to fast travel, though players can zoom in on the map as necessary.  On the right is inventory, and players can fully examine every piece of equipment they’re carrying.  Left brings you to spells, with complete descriptions of what each spell does.  Rather than limit players to hotkeys for weapons and spells as was the case in Oblivion, pressing up on the D-pad now pauses the game and brings players to a favorites menu.  One can set any weapon or spell to a slot, and there’s no limit to the number of slots.

Going up reveals Skyrim‘s astrology system, through which players handle the process of leveling up.  Officially ridding itself of classes, Skyrim remains tied to three particular star signs: the thief, the warrior, and the mage.  Each is basically a six-point perk tree, through which players can access abilities that supplement their skill at stealth, arms, and magic.  For instance, the warrior can let mace users ignore enemy armor when dealing damage.  Players can pick one each level, and, as is common in Elder Scrolls games, are not locked to a particular path of development; any ability can be picked from any of the three signs.

Source: Game Informer