The educational rating of 1 was because of the zero strategy. I suppose a very small child could learn the art of taking turns and moving pieces, but what game couldn't teach them that? The durability rating of 3 was because the 3-D elements must be disassembled and reassembled every time the game is played, and they wear fast. Well, they would wear fast if I were to ever pull the game out of the back of the closet again.

I love Lord of the Rings and I think the books and movies are brilliant. The board game was a total and complete let-down.

WARNING DO NOT BUY!!!! (Rating: 0.00)
Review : First off let me say that I am a huge Lord of The Rings fan. I love the books. Love the movies. Love the games.....well most of the games anyway. This game is a disgrace to be called Lord of The Rings!
When you play through this game you will be immediately struck by how pointless it is. I mean you cannot lose this game. You may not have as many "good points" as another player, but you will always complete this game.
Furthermore the game contains no challenges what so ever. The idea that someone would call it a "strategy" game is pretty funny. I mean what strategy? Events happen when the game dictates. You can't change anything. You are forced to get some helpful items. I mean you don't even have a chance of losing them! You have to get them!!
You might play it through once to see what it is like, but then you will stick it up on your shelf wishing you had bought a game you would actually have enjoyed. Also please don't waste your money on the Two Towers game by these people it is just as annoying.

Fun: 1 Star. If you play it more than twice, it would surprise me!
Educational value: 1 Star. It doesn't teach you a thing...wait! Maybe reading?
Duribility: 1 Star. Granted the game is beautifully illustrated, but would you buy a board game to look at it?

My advice to all gamers is to please not waste your money! Some chief executives sat down and decided to fleece LOTR fans. Shame on them for their greed! I refuse to buy some fat cat another Benz! If he wants my hard earned money than he better at least TRY and make a decent game.
Trust me, instead of wasting your money on this, buy one of the books or if you haven't got it yet, buy the special edition DVD.

A Beautiful Waste of Time (Rating: 0.00)
Review : This board game is wonderful to look at, there's no doubt about that. The idea of interlocking board sections that expand the playable area as the "plot" continues is original, and necessary to keep the board size manageable. That's about all that there is good to say about this set as it is otherwise not worth the investment of either time or money.

The first warning sign was that this game had potentially the longest out-of-box set up time I have ever experienced of any board game. My family and I spent almost as much time assembling the game pieces and reading, and trying to make sense of, the rules, which range from the cryptic to the absurd in their attempt to simulate strategy.

The game claims to have an element of strategy, but the hapless player remains at the mercy of game cards which end up being the true soul, whatever there is of it, of the game. The points system fails in every respect, be it a goal or a source of competition between players. In the end, the points system has almost no bearing whatsoever on gameplay. Where's the strategy? Where's the competition that keeps a game from degrading into collective solitaire? There is none.

Simply put, the game is no fun whatsoever, even for the truest Lord of the Rings fan out there. Each move does nothing more than tell a miniscule chunk of the story that most bothering with the game in the first place already know, and it does not even do that well. Actual interaction is at what seems to be a deliberate minimum (since the game is already constrained absolutely by the plot on which it is based), the players do little more than roll the die to reveal the next section of plot.

The game get low marks for durability as well. Despite the fact that most the board itself and the game pieces are made well enough, the board pieces must be punched out of larger sheets of cardboard, creating enourmous amounts of waste, and the three dimensional paper mountain takes quite a beating each time it is built and deconstructed. Furthermore, the box itself provides no separate compartments for the game cards or pieces, forcing the entire game to organise itself as a messy pile in the box, waiting to be reorganised the next time the player lacks the heart to spare his or her guests the agony of sitting through this game.

Overall, this is a poorly made game with the poorest of intentions. The lack of any semblance of gameplay and the need to purchase the next two installments to complete the game make it obvious that this game, and it successors, were slapped together with little thought other than profits and taking advantage of popularity. I am sorry that I opened it at all, instead of exchanging it for something that my family could enjoy. At least the box looks nice.

Fun for the kids! (Rating: 0.00)
Review : My kids have spent hours playing this game, along with the Two Towers game. In an effort to continue the game before the thrid set comes out, my son designed his own Return of the King game, complete with puzzle board sections to complement the Middle Earth map-board supplied by the first two games.

I think part of the charm for the kids (ages 7-13) is the set-up. They enjoy watching the board grow as they play, and have kept the game continuing for hours of fun.

LOTR Freak (Rating: 0.00)
Review : I took some time and read the other reviews for this game. Overall, I tend to agree with the majority of the statements. There is a lack of strategy, often times leaving the players to succomb to the instructions on the card. And when there is an opportunity to deviate from the movie story line, it is decided by a roll of the die. There are attributes given to characters (i.e. speed) that don't do much since the character stops at the next unused ring space, sometimes one or two spaces away.

In spite of this, though, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing this game each time I've played. So, I give this 4 stars for fun. I do agree that there is little to no educational value. And the need to construct and de-construct Caradhras (which is slightly stronger than paper) can cause quick wear.

In my opinion, this game is great for anyone who wishes to relive the FOTR movie, without having to spend 3 hours watching it.