The Lord of the Rings franchise has been very big business since the films and the real time strategy game Battle for Middle Earth from EA was a real success. Now building on that success like any good games creator we have the release of Lord of the Rings : Battle for Middle Earth II. The groundwork was laid down with the first instalment, it used clipping from the film and allowed you to roam the area's of Middle Earth you will be so familiar with from the films. With Battle for Middle Earth II however You get to explore much more than what was in the films. Taking into account all the detail that was in the books as well Battle for Middle Earth II gives you that bit more than you might expect.

Like many of the more recent real time strategy games Battle for Middle Earth II splits up its factions and each faction has its own special heroes and their own specific style of play. For example the elves are superb archers and there focus is on a more ranged attack than most. The Goblins rely on there numbers to swarm and overpower the enemy, while the dwarves build great war machines to achieve their goals. Then you have the humans and the orcs which also have their own traits.

The Single player campaign comes in two modes, good and evil. You can guess which factions you play in each of these or at least I hope you can. The single player campaigns are fairly self explanatory. Not dull by any means but you do take each stage as it comes. Multiplayer gameplay is one of the strengths of battle for Middle Earth 2 and indeed many RTS games. You can play all the classic skirmish games against your opposition plus you can also play the War of the Ring mode online (this is also playable in 1 player more below)

The War of the Ring mode is a sort of split between the original type of Battle for Middle Earth RTS game and the every popular Total war series of games. You are faced with the task of trying to take control of all of middle earth. To do this you have to mobilise your troops over a tactical battle map to control each territory. Once you invade or become invaded you will be asked to zoom down and face the battle in true RTS style. Your buildings and army you battle with will be reflected by what you have build and trained in that particular territory. To win a territory you need to either destroy the enemy or banish them from the land.

So I look forward to many hours playing Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth 2 as it is likely to be one of the greatest real time strategy games available today.

(Click pics to enlarge)

Features

• New races, places, heroes, and battles from books & films
• Command all the races of Middle-earth with 3 all new factions including Elves, Dwarves, and Goblins
• Win the war in the North single-player campaign with all-new story that takes you to places and battles of Middle-earth previously unseen
• Build your own landmark castle with fully customizable and upgradeable fortresses and walls
• Create your own hero with all new customized RTS units that are your avatars in-game
• Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and flanking, adding unprecedented tactical fidelity
• Master next-gen unit control with smart formations, battle lines, and planning mode
• "Build anywhere" brings creativity and strategy to base building and battlefield dominance
• Control the entire war with a high level "Risk" style meta-game on the Living World Map with all new strategic AI
• Extend your battlefield with larger than life navy battles at sea

System Requirements

Minimum:

Microsoft Windows XP
PC with 1.6 Ghz equivalent or higher processor
256 MB of system RAM
512 MB of system RAM for online play with 3 or more players
4.0 GB available hard disk space
16x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
64 MB GeForce3-class video card
We will only officially support cards with ATI and Nvidia chipsets, and the Intel GMA 900 and GMA 950 products. We are not supporting the GeForce 4 MX.
Sound card with speakers or headphones
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
56.6 Kbps or better modem for 1v1 online play
Broadband connection for online play with 3 or more players
DirectX 9.0c or above

Battle for Middle Earth Cheats + Resources
Cheats Demo and Patches Trailers and Movies	Please wait 10-20 seconds for the ad to finish the cheats/Resources are straight after. No action is required to access the cheats or other resources
You may also want
The Battle for Middle Earth 2 - Official Strategy Guide The Battle Has Begun, Are You Ready? Fully labelled maps for every encounter Complete statistics, upgrade potential, and strengths/weaknesses of all units and buildings Detailed walkthrough of every mission, including optional battles Strategy for creating, maintaining, and sending units into battle Full stats of all special hero abilities