Jude Wells, The Tolkien Society Bulletin

Recently The One Ring joined the plethora of games to be found on Facebook. Set during the events of The Lord of the Rings, it allows you to take on the role of one of the heroes of the books, and join in the struggle against Sauron.

The One Ring is a turn based game. This means that instead of events happening in 'real time', you read about what has happened to you, decide what you want to do next, then submit these 'orders', in response to which you will then be told what happened as a result.

In the game, you journey through the world of Middle-earth, visiting places and locations from the books, talking with characters, and fighting creatures from wargs to the Balrog itself. In order to win the game you must first visit Rivendell, where you choose a Victory Path that you need to complete before the forces of Sauron overwhelm Middle-earth.

The game could be a bit daunting to someone not used to playing computer games, were it not for the excellent tutorial. This is presented to you by a fabulously voice-acted Bilbo, who teaches you everything you need to know in order to play.

As you explore Middle-earth you will encounter new characters whom you can attempt to persuade to join you, gain new weapons and items (from the mundane, such as a torch, to the famous, such as Andúril – or at least, when you have reforged it from the Shards of Narsil!), and complete various quests. And here is where most fun is to be had. Have you ever wanted to see what would have happened if Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel had decided to take the One Ring to Mordor and destroy it themselves? Then all you need to do recruit these characters and set off on your journey.

The game is free to play, but there is an in-game currency, gold, which you use for a variety of things, including decreasing the amount of time you have to wait before you can see the results of your orders. This gold can be earned in the game, but you can also purchase it with real-world money. You do not have to do so in order to win the game – in fact in the first game I played I did not do so – but it is available as an option for those who want to see the world more quickly.

Microcosm Games have gone to great lengths to create a new and original portrayal of The Lord of the Rings, and from the first turn I was captured buy the artwork of the characters; the Hobbits look authentically English, Aragon wise and rugged, and the orcs and wolves evil and twisted. But where The One Ring really stands out is in its descriptions, both written and voice-acted, of the places you visit and the people you meet. A lot of time has clearly been spent writing these, and the first time you visit a new location or encounter a new character there is a real thrill in reading or hearing about them.

The game’s weakest point is its lack of replay value. Once you have visited every location and met every character, you will find that you are able to predict the game before you begin, because you will already know where everything is. Microcosm Games have new content planned for release in 2010, but we will have to see if this alone will keep people playing.

But despite this, The One Ring deserves to do well. It is a beautifully crafted vision of The Lord of the Rings that will entertain any fan of J.R.R. Tolkien. As Bilbo would say, 'The Road goes ever on and on.' And once you choose to journey in The One Ring game who knows where that road may take you?

Larry Douglas

This is one of the best games that I have played on Facebook. The writing for the adventures and the voice over work are well done. In addition the music is fantastic and something I could imagine listening to while trying to relax.

The game play is similar to a turn-based game like D&D Tiny Adventures. You can skip the short waiting period between turns for the cost of some in-game gold but honestly that isn't necessary if you have other things to do during that time. The One Ring provides you with a lot more control of your character and you can make strategic decisions which will ultimately affect the outcome of your adventures.

Another nice feature about this game is that it doesn't require you to have a large number of friends playing. If you like Tolkien and fantasy give this game a try!