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> Results: Battle for Middle Earth
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You've read the books and seen the movies ﾖ now fans of J.R.R. Tolkein's popular "Lord of the Rings" trilogy can play a computer game that spans all three books.
"The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth" is a fantasy-based strategy game that lets players be a commander of the armies of Good or the forces of Evil, then traverse an enormous map of Middle-earth and engage in epic battles. As with the fiction it's based on, the goal of the good guys, represented by the Rohan and Gondor armies, is to destroy the One Ring before it falls into the wrong hands. On the other hand, the malevolent Isengard and Mordor militias vow to seek out the One Ring and use its power to take over the world. To ensure a balanced fight, each of the four armies has its own skills, and strengths and vulnerabilities. "The Battle for Middle-earth" is considered a "real-time" strategy (RTS) title, therefore gamers are expected to study the environment, gather resources to support their armies and then execute offensive and defensive commands ﾖ all without a pause in the action. The single-player mode is divided into a story-based campaign and a straight-forward skirmish mode in which you fight against one or more computer-controlled opponents on a map of your choice. With the latter, you can choose to play a map that you or a friend created using the Worldbuilder editor. The campaign mode lets gamers see the entire Middle-earth from the Living World Map (divided into 30 provinces), including the movement of your armies and those of your enemies. It is here where players choose the path of their soldiers or creatures. Click an army and the screen changes to the Battle Window, where all the action takes place; order your units to attack or stand guard by lassoing them with the mouse then issuing commands.  Similar to other RTS games, players must build fighters, weapons and key structures. For example, Isengard soldiers include Uruk Crossbowmen that can launch iron bolts over long distances, while the Gondor army can build a trebuchet to hurl large stones to break down walls. Lumber mills, barracks, farms and slaughterhouses must also be built to fuel production. Heroes can be summoned, such as Frodo, Gandalf or the nasty Saruman, each of whom enjoy their own special powers. When a skirmish is won, the screen changes back to the Living World Map and the adventure continues. The game offers familiar scenes from the big screen, complimented by exclusive voiceovers from the real actors as well as actual movie footage from the three films. Gamers can choose to control the war from a top-down, bird's eye view (ideal for tactically placing troops in position for the attack) or you can use the middle scroll wheel on the mouse to zoom in for a close-up. Speaking of the game's graphics, "The Battle for Middle-earth" was created using the acclaimed Sage 3D game engine first used in Electronic Arts' "Command & Conquer: Generals" strategy game. Multiplayer battles can be fought online with other gamers. Though registration is first required, launching an Internet match only takes two mouse clicks from the main menu. "The Battle for Middle-earth" is one of the better movie-turned-game offerings in recent memory. EA Games isn't just slapping a popular license on a mediocre game ﾖ this strategy title is a highly-recommended pick for both RTS gamers and fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. 
There's nothing really offensive here that you won't find, much more violent and graphically, portrayed in the Lord of the Rings movies battle scenes. Other than that this game features standard real-time strategy game brutality. Meaning: Lots of little men, hobbits, wizards, orcs, ents, etc., die leaving little smears of blood behind to mark their former existence as units you sent to the slaughter. It's medieval combat and features siege engines, horrible Balrogs, robed figures riding giant dragons (or in geek-speak: Nazgul) who pick up enemies and drop them from great heights, and of course, Ents swinging their massive wooden fists. The graphics make the battles even more intense and the lack of a speed slider means your kids will have to learn to think tactically and strategically to solve problems on the constantly evolving battlefield. Good stuff to learn, especially when wrapped in Tolkien's imagination.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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