The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (Game Boy Advance, 2004)

The Third Age for GBA version is a whole lot different from versions of the Third Age PS2/PC games. Although, all of the games of Third Age focus mainly with the three events of the trilogy. With a different style of RPG version, this establishment is very SIMILAR to the tactical game, FIRE EMBLEM. You get to play as one the main heroes, command an army worthy, and determine the fate of the battles in your own decisions.

One thing I do like about this game is it keeps you occupied if you wait at a doctor's patient lobby or trying to pass some time. Nothing unusual, excellent graphics and battlefield details.

Now my dislikes on the major flaws in this game. One of them is the difficulty getting through the game, sine there is no option of 'EASY' mode, only Normal, Hard, Crueling, etc. Normal being the 'easy' mode, however I disagree with that. Another is, being a big fan of Gandalf, there's no choice in selecting his 'magical' skills unlike the Third Age PS2/PC games. But I can't complain. And lastly, theres TON of reading to do when you first start out with the game, tutorials/stories/directions etc. But its worth the reading! :)

Overall, the game is 3.5 out 5 stars. Unless you're a VERY patient person who likes to delve deep into strategical/tactical decisions AND has ALL the time in the world, this game is for you. Those FAST hack'n slash gamers, I don't recommend buying this game.

I bought this for my 12 year old. He was interested in it because it had all of the fighting from all three movies. The game is rated T for teen. My son usually does fine with this rating but found this particular game difficult to figure out and lost interest quickly. My 14 year old did better at it but he put it down pretty quickly, too. Your child may love it, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it.

My son absolutely loved this game! He says it was probably one of the best games he ever played for GBA! He also says that everyone should buy it!

What I'm about to say may shock a lot of gamers: I never liked "Final Fantasy Tactics." The game always seemed so daunting to learn and never particularly seemed worthy of investing my time (even though I'm sure it's a solid game). Ever since, I've always been wary of strategy/tactical games.

"LOTR: The Third Age" was a pleasant surprise for me. Although the tutorials and first mission were a bit slow-moving, I quickly found myself engrossed and eager to continue on to the next battle. This was one case where my patience paid off. The game is fun once you get into the meat of it — which, it turns out, doesn't take very long — and was more akin to Sega's "Shining Force" series, which I have always loved.

My only complaint is that there's no way to save mid-battle. While the game does feature a "sleep" mode, it keeps your Game Boy powered and thus drains the battery. Unless you want to leave it plugged in or you're only going away for a short time, prepare to hang in there until the battle is over.

I bought this for my son as a Christmas present. I like that it was brand new still in the original packaging. I bought it for the great price. The shipping was fast too!