The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (XBox)

The game's big hype is that it contains 'fan-favourite' scenes which were ommitted from the film. This is true, and the story is worked quite well into the gameplay, except for the final part where the book goes out the window - what you expect to happen, doesn't, and what you don't expect, does. I won't be specific in case it spoils anyone's enjoyment. Suffice to say, the end is rather disappointing.

There are a couple of other major faults, too. The inventory system is terribly designed; trying to switch between weapons or spells during combat is a nightmare; you'll either end up using the wrong item, or lose half your health points while trying to find the right one. Plus, the camera is one of the most infuriating I have ever come across - you have to adjust it manually AT ALL TIMES, and even then there's only half a chance you'll be able to find a decent view. Combat is haphazard at the best of times ( I found pressing the attack button repeatedly while swinging the character round in circles worked best!!! ) and the levels are terribly dark and murky at times, making it difficult to find your way, or even recognise approaching enemies.

So...with all these problems, why did I give it three stars?

Well, despite all the niggles, it is actually reasonably enjoyable to play, and it does some things very well - the management of the ring's corrupting power, for instance, and trying to evade the Ringwraiths as you leave the Shire is genuinely tense. It's actually more enjoyable to play than it's better looking, movie-based sibling. What a pity someone couldn't have combined the gameplay style of this version with the graphical splendor of EA's release. Still, if you're torn between the two, I think I would choose this one, unless you are ONLY interested in the movies.

Just one final thing - both the PC and the PS2 versions are different to this, apparently with simpler gameplay and more combat. You have been warned...

To begin with, the game starts of nice and slow with several 'sub quests' based around Shire folk. It's a bit slow, but it gives you a chance to get used to the controls. Quite quickly you will become very annoyed with the camera angle control, as when you move it right, the camera angle pans left and vice versa and there is no option of changing it; I didn't get use to it until near the end of the game.

The 3D world is fantastically designed with excellent scenery, but it is let down by the fact that you are not free to explore it completely. You might wander down a path, and about three quarters of the way, you just can't go any further for no apparent reason (the character just runs on the spot)! There is also jerky animation that occurs quite frequently for no apparent reason.

The game follows the book quite well at the beginning (even Tom Bombadil is in it), but as the game progresses, it seems to wander away from the story line, especially when you enter Moria. The puzzles get more and more tedious as the game progresses. Initially they start off reasonably well (you have to find various objects and give them to people), but they then soon become quite lame, and move onto a sort of 'find switch, flick switch' kind of puzzle. I then nearly threw the game out when I had spent ages trying to complete a level, and nearly gave up until I happened to notice a VERY obscure ladder which led to the end of the level.

Fighting enemies becomes quite tiresome after a while as it is just a case of 'hit, hit, run away' until they die, and the Artificial Intelligence of the enemies is absolutely appalling; a lot of the time they just stand there while you shoot them with arrows. Selecting your weapon is done via the Left trigger, and in the case of Gandalf who has about 10 different weapons/spells, it can be very difficult to select the right one whilst in combat.

The last straw for me was the final stage of the game where you have to fight one of the Ring Wraiths, which is practically impossible. I was so fed up with the game by this time that I got an infinite health cheat (something I rarely do) just so that I could complete the game, and then never play it again!

Its not all negative though, the game does have some nice touches to it. When Frodo wears the Ring, there are some nice visual effects, and it can sometimes reveal hidden areas; wearing it for too long though can corrupt Frodo, and hence you lose the game - it does make the gameplay a bit more interesting. The game also emphasises some of the more memorable parts of the book that never quite made it into the film.

Summing up, this game should only be bought by an intense fan of the book with money to spare, and a good couple of days free to play it! I guarantee that once you finish the game, you will never play it again, so you might be better off renting it from Blockbuster!