Morrowind was the third in the Elder Scroll series, and IMO the best game of them all. It was released in 2002, but despite the lag had great graphics for its age. Be forewarned, like most of the Elder Scroll games, there's very little direction. And no leveled enemies. So careful while you're exploring at the lower levels, as you can and will run into some level 30 monsters in specific places. But running away from those baddies, getting stronger, and having your vengeance is part of the fun.
Neverwinter Nights came out somewhere in that time period. It's a DnD based game, but also a BioWare title (Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect, etc.) Good story, easy-to-learn gameplay, and great dialogue. Basically classic BioWare. Actually, speaking of which, if you haven't played Baldur's Gate, you really should. It's from the late 90s, but very worth it all the same. And the modding community is still active, which means lots of free extra modules you can download. And many are quite good, unlike the modding communities of so many other games.