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

There was a time when The Lord of the Rings was just a book; now it's a billion-pound industry churning out films, merchandise and games. The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers is EA's foray into the realm of Middle Earth, and they've chosen good old-fashioned hack-'n'-slashery rather than offering up the RPG that most gamers might have expected.

You choose one of three characters of the fellowship of the Ring--Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli--and guide them through 16 missions of mêlée combat, where you use your superior fighting skills (and combinations of buttons on your controller) to beat back the hordes of Sauron.

How you fight is very important: the rating system resembles that of Devil May Cry, and the more daring moves and perfectly executed combos you pull off, the more points you get at the end of the level. The more points you get, the more you can upgrade your attacks, weapons and defensive tactics.

Although it bears the name of the second film, the game includes set pieces from Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring too--Aragorn beating back the Ring Wraiths at Weathertop, the battle with the goblins in the dwarvern caverns of Moria, plus the Battle of Helm's Deep and more footage from The Two Towers.

There isn't much more to the game; it looks great, provides a good dose of action and is well executed, and it's obvious that a lot of thought has been put into capturing the feel of the films. It's woefully short and most gamers are going to breeze through this in less time than it takes to watch the special features on the Fellowship of the Ring DVD. But if you're a fan of the film or love a bit of mindless button bashing, then this is a good tie-in. --Kristen Bowditch

"If you like action games you'll love this. 8/10."

"Unlikely to disappoint--even if you hated the film."

EA's first The Lord of the Rings action/adventure game will take players through the roles of the key action heroes from New Line Cinema's epic film trilogy. As Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, players will battle Orcs and memorable movie monsters, with other members of the Fellowship taking a very active role during gameplay. The game features dramatic camera views of the action within fully 3D interactive environments taken straight from the big screen. A visceral, tactical combat system will encourage players to be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry and moves.

Based on New Line Cinema's epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers PS2 game will integrate cinema and gameplay to deliver an epic interactive experience. Players will be able to relive the most memorable movie moments from the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. EA's first The Lord of the Rings action adventure game will allow players to take control of the motion picture trilogy's action heroes--Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli--with other members of the Fellowship taking an active role during gameplay. Players will battle a variety of Orcs and square off against vicious boss monsters including the Cave Troll and Saruman. A tactical gameplay system will encourage players to react quickly and be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry and combat moves.

Middle Earth comes to life in spectacular detail. Set in over 16 mission locations, each environment will have a close visual correlation to that seen in the first two films. As a backdrop to the action, the game will feature Howard Shore's Academy Award-winning musical score.

Great Games and Accessories for the Playstation 2 (PS2) from Gamesbuyer.