If it wasn't based on LotR, this game would've been in trouble.
What makes this game enjoyable is what it's based on and how it expands on that well-established world of Middle-earth. An avid Tolkien fan, I knew that even if I wasn't thrilled with the game, I certainly wouldn't be bored.
To start off, you play as a captain of Gondor, who was following Boromir to Rivendell but was waylaid by orcs in Dunland. You soon meet up with an Elfmaiden, the healer and caster of your fledgling party, and set off hot on the heels of the Fellowship. The next two members are pretty prototypical; a wily bow-centric Ranger and a grumpy, tough-as-nails Dwarf warrior. The final member is a little more unique; a quick, dual-wielding Shieldmaiden with almost nothing in the way of defense. These guys balance out pretty well, but I had worked a pretty good strategy out before I came across our final adventurer and as a result the Shieldmaiden was more or less ignored except as a last resort.
The battles were pretty engaging and the animations showed good polish; you really relish the way Hadhod drives an ax into an orc's gut, for instance. The format was pretty standard turn-based fare, and though fun at the beginning they were downright exasperating by the end.
Maybe it's just from playing so much Diablo/KOTOR/Fable, but I don't know what the gamespot reviewers meant by plentiful customization options. The items are scripted and I don't remember any tough "Man, do I want this powerful but generic sword, or this less powerful but magic sword?" moments. There was always a clear-cut best weapon, and my Dwarf got that weapon at Helm's Deep (Where you fight trolls, by the way). That's a problem. While he was certainly the most powerful fighter for the next several levels, he was putting out saddeningly average damage by the final battle.
I'm running out of time, but let me say this:
If you want a good LotR game, this does the job for one time through (I think this was the one of the last of the super-linear console RPGs), but if you want a great RPG, get KOTOR.