I bought these for my son, who likes them, but hasn't seen the films. Being a modest Lord of the Rings fan, who's seen the extended versions and the regular versions of the films many times apiece, who's read the Lord of the Rings, and read some essays and books about Tolkien; I was gravely disappointed.

I'll put up their flimsy defense first: EA had the license only from material from the films, not the books. Therefore all material used in the game could only be culled from the films or completely fabricated.

What they did do was take the material of the films, already edited and manipulated from the book and reduced and recyled even more, then added stunningly made up scenes that actually contradict what happens in its parent work. It's unbearable.

Examples:
* Many levels are complete fabrications that have no relevance to it's source material. The Rohan attack and the camp of Orcs in Fangorn come to mind.

* Dialog was created by the actors that simplifies the story. The Merry, Pippin, and Sam are seen in the video clips but not mentioned in the storyline. The remaining fellowship actively helps Frodo escape the attack of the Uruk-hai that killed that poor guy with the horn (Boromir, if you like the source material).

The game itself is similar to "Bad Dudes" or "Double Dragon." Graphically it's much better, but the premise, to kill everything, is the same. I can see it being a quick and easy way into the LOTR universe, for 10-13 year olds, but avoid it if you're a LOTR fan.

If you're not a LotR fan then DON'T buy this game. If you are an LotR fan than this is a MUST HAVE. Here's why:

PROS:
One word: storyline. What could be better than a nice LotR video game? The game can sometimes be addicting despite it's poor graphics. However, the game is FUN! Fight through TONS OF ORCS AND URUK-HAI, use Uruk-Hai explosives, and slay a few trolls. LotR Two Towers is begginer friendly, starting out with Isildur to introduce you to the game's controls and such. Getting bored with Two Towers is not a problem, until you've finished the game that is.
CONS:
Two Towers is hard to understand from an outsider's view. The graphics are HORRIBLE, and some of the levels are REALLY BORING! (Like Fangorn for instance). The game is short, nut same goes for RotK and Third Age so this is not a problem for most fans. Did I mention that the graphics were horrible? They could even give you a headache sometimes like after you fight in an area with NO LIGHT for a long time, and you CAN'T SEE AT ALL! Plus, you can only fight with THREE CHARACTERS.
HOW YOU SHOULD PLAY:
You can fight with Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas. Aragorn and Legolas are probably the most addicting characters, but Legolas' has low health. Gimli is the strongest one, and Aragorn is a combination of each. If you are a begginer or want it easy than I reccomend you play as Aragorn. If you want a challenge play as Gimli, and if you are a FAN WANTING THE BEST FUN POSSIBLE, play as Legolas. I reccomend him as a fan and Aragorn as a gamer.
RATINGS
For fans: ****
For non-fans or people trying to get interested: ***