Lord Of The Rings, A Game Review

I'm not going to write about computer gaming (which I frankly find an incredibly boring subject), this is a review of a board game.

                                       

Lord Of The Rings was produced by 999Games, which as far as I know is a German company, though this particular game was marketed for sale in English-speaking countries which probably explains the politically correct "she or he" in the game description. however, besides this small but irritating detail, it is really a great game (I will add that I was lucky enough to find it complete in a Goodwill type store for 5 euro).

LOTR can be played by 2-5 participants, starting by the age of 12. It has rather complicated rules, so it makes sense to read the manual several times before beginning. The difference between it and other board games I played, is that though there is a competitive element present, you don't play against each other, but as a group against the Dark Lord (in the form of  the Eye of Sauron).

                                                

Each participant represents one of the Hobbits: Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fatty, each of them possessing some special qualities. The Ring is also present and the one who carries it may put it on and use Its power on certain occasions.
                                                                

     
The game has 3 levels (beginners, intermediate and advanced) and makes use of 5 maps: the first one is the corruption path where the hobbits and Sauron every time come closer to each other plus the general journey map from Bag End to Mordor, with 4 additional scenario maps (Moria, Helm's Deep, Shelob's Lair and Mordor), with the group objective being to throw the One Ring into the volcano.

                                               

To achieve it, the participants make use of cards, chips and dice. They are allowed to discuss their strategy but cannot show their cards to each other. LOTR promotes cooperation and working together as a group. It's quite interesting and may be recommended to any family with older children tired of spending their evenings in front of the TV or behind the computer screen. Once you know the rules, it takes about 1 1/2 hour to play and is great fun.

UPDATE:I uploaded pictures, as requested.