Jack of all trades master of none.
It handles just like any RTS that uses swords and arrows instead of guns and tanks, except now its in LotR setting, and they come out in platoons instead of one by one. Oh they can level, but in the end its style the same old dated RTS tactics, you need to outnumber, or outclass the enemy to win.
I got no real beef with that, played plenty of RTS like that Warcraft, Age of Empires and so forth, my beefs with the fact the war of the ring mode is just awful. I expected more, even if I just have one hero I can build a base on disputed land and turtle up and try to churn out an army right there to win the land. which also makes manual battles take a lot of time unless you got enough troops to simply zerg the enemy base at the start.
I gave it a 5 since its not bad, just nothing really screams epic like the other reviews tried to boast. Maybe its becuase I've been playing strategy games since Age of Wonders, and Warcraft 1, and to me its really not that new, platoon style troops are staples now to make organizing easier, and heroes were new back when Warcraft 3 came out lol