• The Dark Lord has arisen. A fellowship is formed. Now the future of Middle-earth lies in your hands. Play as Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn as you overcome perilous obstacles and battle the forces of evil. In your journey from the Shire to the River Anduin, you will explore beautifully detailed environments and meet many characters brought to life as described in the book..

Product Description ------------------- Guide Frodo Baggins and the characters of The Fellowship of the Ring through the villages, countryside and dark forests of Middle Earth in the Fellowship's great quest to protect the ring. Meet all the characters of J.R.R. Tolkien's first book of The Lord of the Rings and share in their journey and direct their actions. But you'll need all your wits and best strategy to elude the terrifying servants of the Dark Lord who seek to cl the ring for their own evil purposes. .com ---- For even the mildest fans, anything related to this beloved book deserves top-notch . Vivendi's officially authorized The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring falls disappointingly short of that goal. The game is intriguing enough (credit the source material) to play through entirely--once. For the cost of the game, you are guaranteed a reasonably pleasurable 10 hours of gameplay. After that, it will likely sit on your shelf. There are good things in this game: the RPG mechanics are fine (at various points in the story you play as Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf), the visuals are beautiful in parts, and certain aspects of game design are fantastic (Gandalf's magic-casting stands out). Little touches make it appealing to true fans, like when Aragorn receives the repaired of Elendil, and it glows during fighting. It would be a great game for even non-LOTR fans to play, since a good deal of backstory is provided in lengthy cinematics throughout the game. Fellowship's greatest asset, of course, is the story itself, as well as the bevy of villainous creatures that provide great boss-fight material. I'm sure many other games wished they had a Balrog to offer. But the story deviates strangely from the book in order to satisfy the format of an RPG game. The final boss-fight (which we won't spoil here) is completely unrelated to anything devised by J.R.R. Tolkien, and it seems hollow, strange, and unsatisfying. The puzzles sprinkled throughout the game are random and often frustrating, as is your first encounter with the Ringwraiths (inevitably, you die many times--too steep a difficulty curve right out of the gate). This game is still strongly recommended, but with many caveats. Proceed with caution and you're likely to enjoy yourself. Expect a masterpiece and you'll be wishing you saved your money for a different PS2 title. --Jennifer Buckendorff Pros: * Great story and great characters (of course) * Missions that require problem-solving as well as combat * Gorgeous s * Getting to play as Gandalf Cons:* Painfully long cutaway scenes * Cheesy ending * Often-tedious fights