Eradan, the human ranger, drew back his bowstring and unleashed a flurry of arrows at the charging orcs. His shots hit their target, though the foes continued to rush. Some stopped to fire off ranged attacks of their own, but their missiles bounced harmlessly off the elven Loremaster Andriel's...

The bloody combat; Being immersed in Lord of the Rings lore; Loot drops; loot drops; loot drops

Repetitive battles; Poor ally managment; Playing alone

Developer Snowblind Studios, best known for the PlayStation 2 action RPG Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance , has not released a major console game since 2006. This drought ends after five years with Lord of the Rings: War in the North .

Co-op play is enjoyable; Different character abilities diversify play

Combat becomes tedious and can be mild; Narrative isn't strong; Characters are less so

War in the North doesn't push the envelope too much, and it's not overly surprising considering the enormous task Snowblind Studio's undertook. This is how we remember games of our childhood, and that's both good and bad.

Enjoyable co-operative gameplay; RPG leveling; looting; and customization; Solid Lord of the Rings atmosphere

Managing A.I; partners is cumbersome, Repetitive combat and enemies, Narrative falls a bit short

Alright: May be slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

There isn't much more to say about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North . It's a side story within the Lord of the Rings universe presented in the form of a mediocre hack-n-slash RPG. Only the die-hard Lord of the Rings fans need apply here. The rest of you can pick up Skyrim to get your RPG fix.

+ Set in the Lord of the Rings universe; split-screen is always welcome

+ Set in the Lord of the Rings universe; split-screen is always welcome; - Unimpressive graphics; glitches and audio issues abound; - Game-breaking technical problems; short and simple story

Forget about Frodo and the Ring; you've got more important fish to fry.

Same console co-op; Interesting story; Loads of stuff to loot; Really Awesome Equipment

Poor skill distribution; Ability to change characters throughout the game; Annoying and repetitive combat

Middle-earth has seen many incarnations in films and video games. Unsurprisingly, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North takes almost all its cues from the Peter Jackson trilogy, and also unsurprisingly, it's all the better for it.

Which is a shame, as it's certainly my favourite action RPG this year, leaving previous best Dungeon Siege III in the dust thanks to a sensible camera angle and Agandaûr being a far cooler villain than the unimpressive JAYNE KASSYNDER.

As the year comes to an end, I find myself playing yet another disappointing action RPG. Last year, it was Fable III , and this year, it's Lord of the Rings: War in the North . I had the opportunity to take in War in the North at E3 2011 and left feeling very impressed, going as far to call it my...

Overall the game is decent, its value outweighs its flaws and it should be an enjoyable game for RPG and LOTR fans. It just could have been much more had the gameplay been attended to like the visuals and sound.