For one who was eagerly awaiting the 'Lord of the Rings Trilogy' game promised at the end of Return of the King, I was a bit disappointed to find a turn-based RPG following new characters. The game itself isn't all that bad, but is a let down compared to previous games. The characters aren't all that great and with the improved graphics it's disappointing we don't get to see more of the Fellowship.
Story - 6, original story. Nowhere near as good as Tolkien.
Gameplay - 6, don't know if turn-based style suits Lord of the Rings all that much.
Visuals - 7, improved over Return of the King.
Music - 9, uses movie scores again, and some new music which is not that great.
Controls - 7, pretty basic controls. Battling got a bit confusing at times.
Multiplayer - 4, can only be used in battle, disappointing.
Originality - 6, not a movie tie-in and something new, although both the setting and format have been done numerous times.
Characters - 6, most are poor composites of original Lord of the Rings characters. Bland and flat for the most part.
Fun - 7, it's still Middle-Earth and can still be fun for a Middle-Earth fan.
Overall - 6.4