Overall Rating

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - story1"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" RPG attempts to put the epic story of Middle Earth into your hands via the Game Boy Advance. However, Black Label Games' contribution to J.R.R. Tolkien's works, while inspired, feels slightly sleepy. This week "Extended Play" visits with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," but we'll be trying to suppress a yawn.

The journey begins

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" begins with the departure of Bilbo Baggins, followed by the sorcerer Gandalf presenting Frodo with the ring. The truly sprawling cartridge (20-plus hours for most) will reacquaint us with the likes of the Hobbits, Aragorn, Legolas, and the sinister Lord Sauron's evil intentions. Plus, we'll fight with plants, steal stuff, and deliver messages for characters we have no interest in. (As if poor Frodo didn't have enough on his plate with the whole Ring issue.)

Basic RPG style

It's easy to see how "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" might be good food for an RPG. It's also apparent that the developers were willing to deliver the usual mechanics. Favorite characters will join up with the party of the ring, increasing the number of options for players. Everyone can level up incrementally with improvable stats. Also, individual characters can be outfitted with the appropriate items, such as armor and helmets. Other specialty items, such as a bow, can be used only by the likes of Legolas or Aragorn. Combat is a turn-based affair, but the game will end if everyone in your party's health bottoms out. Thankfully players can save their progress.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - story2Sub quests

Probably in an effort to add more bang for the buck, there's a heap of loosely related subquests in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Unfortunately this detracts from the expectations of a Middle Earth tourist. Where players may want to explore memorable moments from the lore, they're also going to find themselves half-heartedly searching for reeds to make slippers and acquiring feathers for a grumpy old fellow's hats.

Bottom line

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" delivers much of what fans might want from an RPG. And the graphics and music are sweet. But there's a lot here to make players sleepy as well, curbing any thoughts this reviewer may have had for a higher rating. "Extended Play" can barely allow "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" for the Game Boy Advance three out of five stars.