A decent use of the licence.
From the moment you start the 1st mission it makes you feel like part of the world Tolkien created. As you progress through the game you get many choices, and each battle you choose to fight gives you an advantage for future fights. Some of these can be invaluable, while others you fight just coz you think it makes the map look a little more aesthetically pleasing.
Every so often you fight battles as they would be fought in the books/movies and this is where the game falls down for me.
Being forced to do a mission with certain units and without some of the heroes you spent so long building up makes you want to skip through some battles more than it makes you want settle down and enjoy them.
Also, ever since the days of the 1st command and conquer, i have a strong dislike for "Commando" missions. These are when you have one hero or group of heroes and no base or army production facilities.
Personally i prefer the strategy of large battles, although the change of pace does perhaps make the large battles stay fresh for longer.
Overall it's a fun game which gives many hours of entertainment without loosing much of it's appeal. It has its flaws and it's lows but is a must buy for fans of the books or movies or of Fantasy strategy in general.