All right, for all you LOTR junkies out there, Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth has something different offer to the gaming world. You've seen EA's Two Towers and Return of the King, and now EA is introducing a real-time strategy to the mix of already-released LOTR games. Some of you may be thinking "about time this happened," and for all your others, you maybe skeptical. But the fact of the matter is that the game content is extensive and unique in its own right when it comes to real-time strategy.

EA, fresh from RTS with Command and Conquer Generals, plans to revamp their engine, beef it up, and apply it to Battle for Middle Earth. You can expect to play all the biggest battles you've seen throughout the movies, including Isengard, Helm's Deep, and Minas Tirith. You will have four playable sides with separate campaigns, which gives you the luxury of deciding whether you want the mighty cavalry of Rohan, the defensive bonuses of the soldiers of Gondor, the use of Ents for the battle of Isengard, or even Mordor's legions of orcs at your disposal.

Battle for Middle Earth isn't your typical RTS game, though. EA has plans to put it on a different level where the single player campaign is immersive and holds true to the spirit of LOTR. As seen in the Two Towers and Return of the King games, their success is due to their ability to hold true to the movies and books. Like any typical RTS, you'll have to micro-manage the epic battle at hand. You will need to consider resource management, structure building, and careful troop strategies. If you are playing the campaign dealing with Gondor, you will have to create farms for food and concentrate on building up a solid defense to hold off waves of orc attacks. If you play the forces of Rohan, you will have different missions to accomplish, such as saving refugees and helping to save Helms Deep from its immanent destruction. Protecting and saving refugees, for example, will give you resource bonuses. If that's not enough, every side has its own unique form of strategy and resource management. Sauron will have unlimited orc production with no resources needed; the main thing you will have to concentrate on is population limits and how you plant your encampments. Unit management in all areas is key, with your thousands of soldiers to command, and epic heroes straight out of the story such as Gandolf, Prince Eomer, and even the Armies of the Dead, all your favorite characters and more will be there to fight for you no matter which campaign you choose.