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Fast paced,action packed and the best LOTR game yet The Battle for Middle Earth has A+ graphics,sound and gameplay. I'll definately give it that. EA Games has made a wise choice by converting the Lord of the Rings Trilogy from RPG to a stradegy game,meaning this game has alot in common with other stradegy games like Age of Empires 2 and Age of Mythology. The Battle for Middle Earth succeeds in achieving this in nearly almost every aspect. I have to admit that I enjoyed every moment of playing this game. There is also a multiplayer option in this game which looks stunning. You will lead the armies of Rohan,Gondor,Isengard and Mordor,Rohan being my personal favorite. Each team has thier own unique stradegys and powers to achieve full victory. For instance, if you are playing as the forces of light you are able to summon the Army of the Dead when you reach a certain rank in battle. Another power you can use for only Isengard and Mordor is to summon the Balrog (the monster that chased the Fellowship through Moria).All of these skills are paramount to winning a battle. Controls are similar to Age of Empires 2. More music has also been added to this game,also composed by Howard Shore. Music from the movies also does appear in the game,although I like the new music more. But it's the graphics that really shine! Alot of the ingame cinematics look like they came directly from the movie and the in game graphics are great too (only I wish they added some blood),these two catagorys really stand out. Sadly,they didn't use all of the actors to do the voices for the charecters. They still kept some like Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis but they did not use some of the other great acotrs including Viggo Mortenson and Sir Ian McKellen. But the voice actors are still good compared to most new games. The enemy and friendly AI has dramatically improved! For instance,if a large troll is running towards a group of Gondorian Soldiers,they will take a few steps back or tremble with fear. At first you may think that this will mean that controling units will be harder,but think again! EA has made it so that you can control them,even while under this influence! There are also three difficulty settings so if you're having trouble with the game,then you can switch to another setting. You are also given the ability to using objects in the environment. For instance,if you are a troll,then feel free to grab a tree and use it to fight or if you're an ent,you can take a chunk out of a building and hurl it at nearby units. All charecters from the game are from the movies,and each side will be able to summon Heros from the films. Heros are much stronger than your other units and will be more expensive. For Rohan,there is Aragorn,Legolas,Gimli,Theoden,Eomer,Merry and Eowyn.For Gondor there is Gandalf,Faramir,Boromir and Pippin. For Isengard there is Saruman and Lurtz and for Mordor there is the Witch King,Nazgul and even Gollum! Heros may be trained at Citadels,or the building in the center of your base,though at a very high price. Here are the four teams that you can play as resources and units: Rohan Strengths:Powerful and effective offense,best and most heros,strongest units and buildings. Weaknesses:Fewest troops,not as many upgrades nor as good defence. Units:Peasents,Yeoman Archers,Elven Warriors,Rohirram and Rohirram Archers. Buildings:Armory,Stables,Archery Range,Well,Farm,Statue,Postern Gate,Battle Tower,Citadel,Ent Moot. Gondor: Strengths:Best defences,best and most upgrades,magical allies like elves and eagles. Weaknesses:Poor offense,only mildly strong heros,few troops. Buildings:ArhceryRange,Stables,Barracks,Farm,Blacksmith,Market,Statue,Citadel,Stone Worker,Postern Gate,Workshop,Battle Tower,Catapult. Units:Ranger,Soldier,Tower Gaurds,Archers,Catapults. Isengard: Strengths:Lots of siege weapons that can easily turn the tide of a fight.Stronger individuals. Weaknesses:Weak Heros,Expensive upgrades,poor defenses. Buildings:Orc Pit,Slaughter House,Warg Pit,Siege Works,Lumber Mill,Forge,Citadel. Units:Uruk Hai,Crossbowmen,Pikeman,Berserkers,Ballistas,Explosive Mines. Mordor: Strengths:Free troops,most units in game,many resource collectors,strong heros. Weaknesses:Poor defenses,Weak soldiers,No upgrades to get,highly expensive heros,only moderate siege materials. Buildings:Slaughter House,Lumber Mill,Forge,Siege Works,Orc Pit,Haradrim Palace,Troll Cage,Mumakil Pen. Units:Orcs,Crossbowmen,Easterlings,Haradrim,Trolls,Siege Weapons,Laborers. Features: *Control the armies of Rohan,Gondor,Isengard and Mordor,each with thier own unique abilities and resources. *Fight in memorable locations for all three films including Helms Deep,Moria,Osgiliath and Minas Tirith. *Challenge other players in intense multiplayer battles for Middle Earth. *Howard Shores award winning music will be featured during gameplay. *Control legendary Heros and charceters from the film including Ents and the un-dead Nazgul. *Earn experience and rank for your soldiers as you overtake legions of enemies. I definately rate this one a must buy for any gaming fan in general.Enjoy!