Though it’s not readily obvious, the entire UI is customizable. Your UI can include as few or as many things as you wish, based on your class or your personal preferences. Simple commands and drag-and-drop features make it a perfectly painless process.

As you progress through the character creation and smoothly transition into a tutorial quest of sorts you’re encouraged to pay close attention to the events that unfold. At first I found it a little annoying until I actually did pay attention. The tutorial quests and flashback sequences tie in with the main storyline quests for all races and they help to tie it all together smoothly.

While LoTR Online stays true to the basic MMORPG format, bringing the stories of Middle Earth sets them apart. Whether you’re following the quest of the main storyline or simply spending your time honing your skills in the wild, your time spent in game will fly by. If the day is winding down and you prefer to leave the questing for another day, crafting is available to pass the time.

With integrated voice chat and instant messaging this game is a breeze for those who are interested in grouping together to beat certain quests. This game calls groups “fellowships” and they make them more appealing than standard groups by offering fellowship maneuvers to enhance the skills of the entire party. If groups aren’t your thing, not to worry- this game is definitely something you can do solo if you choose.

By far, the most impressive thing about the game are the graphics. Though Turbine broke away from DDO style characters models and relied on Tolkien’s books, they more than made up for it with the graphics. With weather effects and changes in lighting depending on the time of day in game, even the wind blowing through the trees is breathtaking.

Some people love the game. Some people don’t like certain things about it. Even if MMORPG’s aren’t the kind of game you would normally play, I urge you to try it.

Game Specs:

Minimum System Requirements:

Processor: Intel Pentium® 4 1.8 GHz or equivalent

Video: 64 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 3 or ATI® Radeon® 8500

DirectX:

DirectX® 9.0c

OS: Windows® XP

RAM: 512 MB

Disk Space: 7 GB available

Internet: 56kbps Modem

Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM

Recommended System Requirements:

Processor: Intel Pentium® 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent

Video: 128 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® FX 6800 or ATI® Radeon® X850

DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c

OS: Windows® XP / Vista

RAM: 1 GB

Disk Space: 10 GB available

Internet: Broadband DSL/Cable

Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM