Parents' Guide to Lord of the Rings: Rise to War

The game involves a number of elements, but it's not impossible to learn and master. While balancing building construction, army building, and other tasks, Lord of the Rings: Rise to War can, at least at first, seem overwhelming. Players may feel a little lost at points, but overall, the app does a fairly good job of walking them through steps. Gandalf the Grey often pops up often with guidance or advice, and a task scroll serves as a handy reminder of what needs to be done. Gameplay is shown from a bird's eye view, and because the two sides appear so small and the combat is over quickly, the face-offs aren't visually dynamic or very detailed. In other areas, though, the app's graphics are visually impressive.

A color-coded system on area maps helps players quickly determine land ownership. A green line, for instance, indicates it's a land tile you control, and a red one represents a player from another faction's ownership. In addition to cues like the numerical indication of the defender's power level, players get warning messages before striking foes or entering unbalanced battles, which can be helpful when trying to determine what areas to attack. The game involves some strategy around determing the kinds of troops in your army, as well as the structures you'll build. That adds to the multitasking required because gamers may have to remember to initiate those actions, check back to confirm something is done, or see if something else needs to be started. If players are OK with a more methodical pace, as opposed to a no-holds-barred-action type of role-playing game, Lord of Rings: Rise to War offers plenty to do -- and enough goals to work toward on an ongoing basis to potentially get them interested in both the story and trying to advance in the game.