It seems like it is a good time for Tolkien fans at the moment. Three films and as many games, and all top draw material. The return of the king follows on from The Two Towers, and is the final instalment in the trilogy. I will not give too much away as the final film is not yet out, but be ready for another epic adventure.

Game play:

The game is much like The Two Towers, the player takes control of one of the heroes, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and a few others. Control is on a third person basis, and for most part it a button bash frenzy. There are various things to do such as launch firebombs at battering rams, and push ladders off of castles, all done at the press of a button, but for most part it is a hack and slasher. Game play can be repetitive, but is mostly quite fun. Most people will love this due to its cinematic feel. From the onset you take control of Gandalf and are thrown straight into a huge melee, which is excellent, however the rest of the game is pretty much similar. Learn a combo, and use it over and over, the AI will not punish you for doing it, which is a shame, and leads to no real tactics needed to progress. But that said if you like pressing buttons then you will like this game.

Graphics:

The strongest part of the game. The graphics are outstanding, if you have any friends with playsatations then get them round and watch them go green with envy. The characters are smooth as silk, and the backdrops are fantastic. There is no slow down whilst any of the action is going on, and there is loads of action. There is a level where you must kill loads of orcs, and loads of ents are running around stamping on anything that gets in their way; fantastic.

Sound:

The sound compliments the stunning visuals, and is on par with them. The soundtrack sounds like it has been lifted straight from the film. The sfx are great, during the battles you will hear warcrys, arrows whizzing, swords clashing and the voice overs are from the movie cast. Top marks.

Longevity:

There is an rpg element to the game, that being you get experience points according to how well you fight. These points are used for buying better combos, and do add to the game, but unfortunately are not in-depth enough to keep you coming back to many times. There are 15 levels and all are very linear. However there are characters to unlock and secrets to find. There is also a co-op mode, so get a mate over for some button bashing.

Round up:

If you liked the Two Towers, then you will love this, if you did not, then give it a miss or a rent. I am sure You will read other reviews singing this games praises, but one needs to ask is this a question of quality of content. Overall this is a very polished game, and as long as you don’t expect too much brain taxing then this is for you.

Pros:

• Graphics and sound are amazing.
  
• A good use of a good license
  

  Cons:
  

  • Press x,x,x,x,y,y,y
    
  • Will you play this in a few months?