The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest for Nintendo DS is an action-packed strategy game released by Electronic Arts in 2009. Based on the epic movie trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings", it allows you to immerse yourself in the legendary battles of Middle-earth - either on the side of good or evil.

The game offers two exciting campaigns: In "War of the Ring" you experience the classic story in which Frodo tries to destroy the One Ring. The alternative campaign "Rise of Sauron", on the other hand, shows a dark scenario in which Frodo fails and Sauron expands his rule over Middle-earth.

You can play different factions, including Gondor, Rohan, Mordor or Isengard - each with their own units and abilities. The battles take place from an isometric perspective: You move your troops, conquer strategic points on the map and eliminate enemies. You can switch between several character classes such as warrior, archer or mage - and even control legendary heroes such as Aragorn, Gandalf or Saruman at special moments.

The controls are either via the buttons or the touchscreen, but are a little imprecise in places. Graphically, the game also reaches the limits of the DS - the environments are functional, but rather plain, which doesn't completely detract from the atmosphere. The dark mood of the original is well preserved in the music and scenario, even if the enemy AI is quite simple.

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest for Nintendo DS is not a technical masterpiece, but it delivers entertaining real-time action in the popular Tolkien world. Fans of the films or books who want to experience a piece of Middle-earth on the go will find a solid adventure here, despite its weaknesses.