The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - T

High-intensity play enjoyable for teen LOTR fans.

Publisher: Electronic Arts/Maxis Category/Genre: Video Games - Action/Adventure Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox Price: $45.99 Graphics: Excellent 3-D graphics. Beautiful scenery. Great job merging movie scenes into game scenes. Playability: Medium difficulty. Good hints as to when special actions may benefit the player. Release Date: 09/24/2003 ESRB Rating: T

Common Sense Note

This is a violent game, an epic fantasy of good versus evil. The game attempts to let the player join the story, but it lacks the softer aspects of the movie and book.

You may want to put the violence in context for teens who are not familiar with the story.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Erik Lande

This fantasy adventure game is a sequel to, and improvement on The Two Towers video game. Developers have kept the best features and improved it by the inclusion of new characters, new missions and abilities, and the opportunity to play online as a team.

Unfortunately the game is still quite violent. It would have been nice to see the inclusion of some puzzle or exploration tasks that were less dependent on violence. The game provides intense graphics and allows the player to step into the game as any of a multitude of characters. As players advance in the game, they unlock numerous extras about the movie and game, including interviews with the actors and film-makers, movie photos, and secret missions.

The game will be very enjoyable for most teenage players, but could be a little scary for younger children. The violence is very realistic, but at least limited to use in the missions, rather than generalized. Unlike some other current games, players cannot attack each other or the environment in general. While this game is visually intriguing and lets players become a part of a favorite movie, parents will need to decide for themselves if they are comfortable with the amount of violence presented here.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content
Violence Graphic fantasy violence involving all characters, even ones who did not engage in as much fighting in the movie. Grotesque characters as seen in movie, probably not disturbing to teens.
Language
Message
	Social Behavior
	Commercialism Some tie-ins with the movie.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco
	Educational Value Object of game is focused on fighting and mayhem; lacks the softer aspects of the movie.