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is unusual for a pre-established series like The Lord of the Rings to successfully take on a sequel, but EA Game's LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH II for the PC proved this theory wrong. This game manages to take the well-known mythology surrounding the story and focused on the war in the North between the elves, dwarves, goblins, and Mordor forces that is only touched upon in the book and is left out completely in the movies. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH II plays out much like the game of Risk in that players must move their armies around a board that is covered in territories. Players will find that this new battle between good and evil takes place on a much grander scale with six different factions combining to against the forces of Mordor. Players can also combine forces in multiplayer mode to get the most out of the fights. This ability to customize the fighting options makes for a great game no matter what type of mood the player is in. All of these factors make playing the second installment in the Battle for Middle Earth series just as exciting and entertaining as the first time around, without the worry that players will just be repeating the game in a different format. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH II is perfect for Tolkien fans.