No Prizes for guessing what this game is all about. But it had to be done and so the RTS fans can rejoice as the greatest story produced into film has now been made into a Warcraft III clone RTS game. All you favourites are there from the Elven archers to the Foot soldiers from Gondor. The game itself feels very much like Warcraft III. If you like to dabble in RTS games then you may find it a little too similar and want to decide between the two. If you love all RTS games then you wont mind the similarities, you will be able to get the feel of the game very quickly and also it will feel like an expansion pack with Lord of the Rings characters in it.

The strategy of the game is somewhat simpler than recent RTS offerings and seems to have been designed more with the actual excitement of having Gandalf, Frodo, Gimli and Legolas and many others to use as characters than it does to have a outstanding gameplay. The game consists of 2 factions. Good and Evil, no surprise there but it would of been nice if they had split the game into elves, humans, orcs, goblins, demons etc. Just some sort of choice like with Warcraft 3.

Sticking with the Warcraft series, if you remember Warcraft 2 which only had the two factions, humans and orcs. It had one major flaw, because there were only 2 choice they were very evenly matched in every aspect. Greater numbers won the the battles and strategy played a smaller role. With 3 or more factions you can have races which are strong in certain area's but at the same time weak in certain area's against the same race. Out producing your opponent could win you the game in War of the Ring.

Despite this problem in gameplay. Lord of the Ring fans will have endless fun playing as the Characters, and playing in a setting of middle earth. Once you are into something such as Lord of the Rings, games such as this rise as a new level of entertainment, the gameplay takes a back seat as the magic of the characters takes over.

There are two main resources in the game, wood and ore. Simple enough for a standard RTS game. However you can also earn another resource call "fate" these fate points are rewarded to you in battle by inflicting damage to your foe. Fate points can be used to give your characters new abilities, call up new heroes or if you save enough points you can cast a number spell's upon your enemies.

(Click pics to enlarge)

Features

Take control of the armies of good or evil.
The forces of darkness storyline will follow the story of Sauron after his escape from Dol Guldur during the reformation of his armies in Mordor. This story will allow the player to play the forces of darkness for the first time, leading armies of Orcs, Trolls, and Haradrim, as the power of Sauron grows across the face of Middle-earth.
Participate in the epic battles for Middle-earth amidst spectacular weather effects.
Explore the land of Middle-earth with incredibly detailed environments. Familiar locations and set pieces are recreated to faithful detail.
As the dark presence of Sauron expands across Middle-Earth, watch as the very land itself dynamically dies and withers under his iron grip. As the forces of good reclaim the land, watch as nature returns and grows strong.
Control dozens of different military units in the fight to control the One Ring. Dominate Middle-earth with Evil units as large as the Balrog. Defend the land with Good units as large the Tree Ents and as small as Frodo Baggins.
Turn the tides of battle by harnessing the powers of fate. Unleash dazzling spells on the battlefield as the forces of light and dark attempt to control the One Ring.
Ally with your friends or attempt to crush them online. For the first time in history, battle with other players from around the world using the armies and battlefields of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece at your disposal.

System Requirements
PIII 800 or better (P4 2GHz recommended),
256MB RAM (512MB recommended),
32MB 3D card (64MB recommended)