The Battle For Middle-Earth II (PC)

Middle-earth II is a polished adaptation of a complex work.

Herald rating: * * * 

It feels strange delving back into the world of Middle-earth after being away for so long. The Rings phenomenon seems so old, trampled to death on screen and in the gaming world by a more fashionable ape. But Electronic Arts obviously paid good money for the rights to make computer games based on Peter Jackson's blockbusting trilogy and they're going to squeeze the material for all it's worth.

The interesting thing about Middle-earth II is that it references a lot more than what was in the movies. Its creators have won permission to incorporate material from Tolkien's books, which means there are characters, settings and even entire races of strange creatures that Jackson didn't see fit to include in his epics.

In that sense, Middle-earth II is a decent update on its predecessor.

The strategic part of the game is presented simply as a giant map of Middle-earth divided into colours that represent the various races that co-inhabit the world with you. The idea is to spread your colour across the landscape to the extent that Britannia's pink used to swathe vast patches of the world on early 20th century maps. You again can play as the forces of good or evil building villages, barracks and mines to spur on colonisation. Age of Empires does a much better job in this area but it doesn't have the mysticism and atmosphere of Tolkien's imaginary world.

In single player mode, the battles with adversaries controlled by the computer seem to have changed little. There are naval encounters which are nicely presented but infrequent. Hero units such as Gandalf still have the power to shift the tide of battle. The soundtrack again features the music of Howard Shore and familiar voices from the movie pop up. Middle-earth II is a polished, faithful adaptation of a complex body of work and gamers who are in the Rings camp will love it. The rest of you might feel you're at a repeat screening.

Rating: G, $80