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As an avid reader of fantasy, none have captured my heart as did the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. When the movie version of the first book, "The Fellowship of the Ring", released I found myself nearly in tears as I rode with Gandalf and Frodo on a rickety wagon into Hobbiton to visit none other than Bilbo Baggins. Imagine my delight upon hearing the news that Turbine, Inc. was producing an MMORPG, (Massive Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game or MMO for short), based on Tolkien's works, "Lord of the Rings Online - Shadows of Angmar".

Upon entering Turbine's rendition of Middle Earth, as a Man, Elf or Dwarf, the player is immediately immersed into an epic story line that parallels the actual tale rather than follow it explicitly. While some find the character creation process somewhat flat, I was refreshed by the more realistic features presented by the avatars. If your into voluptuous women sporting thong bikini armor that wouldn't stop a blade of grass, let alone a sword or mace, then I can only promise you disappointment. The characters fit well into the tale being told and have their own sense of uniqueness that go a long way toward drawing the player into the world.

The abundant adventures begin in three race appropriate settings, each with a different but connected group of tales based upon lore appropriate happenings occurring as the fellowship prepares for its journey to Mordor. I find myself compelled to read each and every quest as much as I was to read each and every page when I read the books. Turbine has taken many of the sideline tidbits and seemingly obscure mentions of lore that Tolkien chose to provide to give life and history to his story and written new content that allows players to become part of the history. As such, each new quest is truly new content written just for the game yet tying directly to the original epic. As the player progresses through the three racial starting areas, they are seamlessly led toward Bree Town where everything comes together and players are well prepared for even greater adventures designed for more cooperative play groups called fellowships.

Besides the three races to choose from, players must also pick from the eight classes available. Although the classes may appear similar to those from other games of the fantasy genre, they are also quite unique to "Lord of the Rings - Shadows of Angmar". You won't find Wizard as a choice and while magic exists, it is not the flamboyant flashy spells

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