J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1

Review

by Glenn Wigmore

J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Volume 1 is based on the classic trilogy and it features many of the characters immortalized in the novels. You play the role of Frodo Baggins and you are joined by a party of heroes who set out on an adventure based on the story that takes place in the books. Along the way, you must talk to other characters and collect the weapons, armor and other special items that may help you on your journey. The action is viewed from a top-down perspective. With an adaptor and enough controllers three of your friends can join you on the quest, each of you controlling a different character.

The graphics in the game are very average. They look grainy and blurry and the use of color is not particularly good. The look of the battlefields and villages seems boring and plain as well. More effort should have been put into making these graphical aspects of the game more appealing.

The sound in the game is only decent. There is some ambient background music that helps to set the mood at times. The sound effects seem to have been created and implemented with minimal effort, however. There are not enough sound effects and the existing effects are not always that good.

The game manual is sufficient, listing all the basic information that the player needs to know including, options, controls, and special elements of gameplay.

Enjoyment of the game is diminished by the difficult and sometimes strange gameplay. Some important mission objectives are only subtly mentioned and others are just so difficult to accomplish that they detract from the gameplay. The fighting sequences aren't really fun, either. The repay value suffers from the hard, odd style of gameplay as well. For the most part, the game is just more difficult than it is fun.

Overall, this is a flawed game that seems to have been rushed onto the store shelves before it was really ready. There should have been better graphics, sound effects, and music to accompany such a good story. Moreover, the gameplay should've been tweaked to make it less frustrating and more worthwhile.