The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (Windows)

Drawing from all three Lord of the Rings movies, players can command any of their heroes and armies as they battle for control of Middle-Earth. This is a real-time strategy game that allows players to choose their armies -- Gondor, Mordor, Isengard, or Rohan -- each of which comes with its own heroes and villains.

The game allows the player to be good or evil and control one of four groups each of which has its own playing style, resource management, and base-building techniques. The game is played across a three-dimensional Middle-earth map. The armies express emotions, cheering each other on but also becoming enraged at times. Players can challenge each other with the online multiplayer component.

The standard strategy options are all here, but what really makes THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH so captivating (besides the excellent graphics and sound) is that the game invites the player into the battlegrounds of the movies. It's an intimate battle game without being too violent. Ultimately, this game is an imaginative kid's dream.