The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PS2)

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * * )

I've seen Jackson's first Lord of the Rings film a number of times, so I'm up for some good old-fashioned sword fighting.

At my first look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers I selected the character Aragorn and quickly found myself in woods, surrounded by giant Orcs, flailing wildly, and loving every second of it.

Players can choose either Legolas (who uses a bow, with long knives as melee weapons) or Gimli, with his giant axe. All the weaponry can be upgraded and new attacks unlocked.

The initial impact was definitely the mind-blowing graphics. The characters were made with the help of digital doubles. EA Games approached Weta Studios in Wellington and have come up with a wonderfully cinematic experience. The stars lent their voices to the soundtrack and were also motion-captured, giving the characters an even more accurate tone.

Having secured the rights to produce the games, it is evident that this is a huge project for EA Games, which has had 250 people working on Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The levels are inspired by the first two films — all 16 levels are segued by clips from both films. There are five bosses, and many of the locations will be recognisable, from the Mines of Moria to Helm's Deep.

This game is an energising return to the good old days when adventure, tactical fighting and character selection were all that mattered.

* PS2 $129.95

* jon@tenthplanet.co.nz