We recently had a chance to try out the competitive multiplayer modes in The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II. The real-time strategy sequel will return to the fantasy realm known as Middle-earth using assets from Peter Jackson's award-winning motion pictures and from the expanded world of author J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novels. Like in the original game, Battle for Middle-earth will let you create an army of warriors that comes straight from Tolkien's lore, though the sequel will offer all-new playable factions, a custom "create-a-hero" option, and new play modes, including a persistent multiplayer mode known as "War of the Ring."

　　The Battle for Middle-earth begins again. And this time there are more players on the field.

　　We had a chance to try out two separate multiplayer sessions of the game, playing once as the elves of Middle-earth and once as the stout dwarves. As you may recall from reading our previous coverage, the sequel will still include several characters and monsters from the motion pictures, such as the uruk-hai of Isengard and the armies of Mordor, but it will also include new playable factions, including the elves, dwarves, and consolidated forces of Rohan and Gondor, known as the Men of the West. And like in the first game, the sequel will let you build out an army by creating a network of buildings within a base so you can churn out soldiers. However, unlike in the first game, you'll be able to build your structures anywhere you want.

　　In the version we played, we started with a few builder units and a central "citadel" structure that let us commission more builders and hero units. At this time, both the elves and dwarves may build resource-increasing structures (in the case of elves, magical trees) that will produce larger outputs of basic resources--if they're placed farther apart--to encourage players to expand as much as possible. Both the dwarves and elves have basic barracks structures and research structures to recruit low-level soldiers and improve their armies, but the way they build their bases are radically different.

　　Elves seem to build their bases with speed in mind, since their archers and swordsmen are among the swiftest infantry units in the game. Elf infantry also possess the unique ability to hide among forests, as any infantry left standing near trees will, after a brief delay, become partially invisible, which is the perfect setup for an ambush. The hardy dwarves of Middle-earth, on the other hand, make up for their lack of speed and subtlety with much stronger, tougher infantry and better base architecture. While the elves build shimmering trees to bolster their supplies, dwarves dig mines into the earth, which can actually be used as two-way tunnels for troops to travel through when built across the map. Like in the original, the sequel has skirmish maps with additional expansion points (where you can build smaller fortress additions), resource-producing farms, and treasure troves guarded by neutral creatures. The map we played on was a rather small one-on-one duel map littered with picturesque ancient ruins, though it was packed full of points of interest, such as neutral monsters to slay for experience and valuable territory to control.

　　Between your building up a base of operations, hacking through neutral monsters, capturing expansion points, and fending off the enemy, the action will be fast and furious.

　　We found ourselves in action early and often, and while the relative strength of our armies was useful, it seems that the outcomes of many battles in the game will come down to smart tactical decisions, such as using heroes' and units' special abilities (like the dwarf infantry's "charging" ability, which briefly grants it enhanced attack power) and magic spells. Like in the original, the sequel will offer a branching tree of magic spells that can be unlocked as you earn points in battle to purchase additional abilities. Both the elves and dwarves start with a basic healing spell, but each army will have different abilities that you'll choose from based on your playing style.

　　The elves, for instance, later gain an enhanced stealth spell, while the dwarves may learn a powerful enhancement spell that imbues a handful of units with increased armor on top of their inherent toughness. These spells and abilities will become even more important when you use the game's create-a-hero mode (which we were, unfortunately, unable to try), since this mode will let you create a hero character with whatever skills you want. This means that if you'd like to make someone with the sorcery skills of Gandalf and the marksmanship of Legolas (or any number of other combinations), you can--which is presumably why the EALA team plans to spend more time tweaking and balancing the multiplayer to make sure no players discover some unbalanced, unbeatable combination of skills and abilities.

　　In addition to trying out the fast-paced multiplayer, we also had an opportunity to take a look at the persistent War of the Ring multiplayer mode. War of the Ring will play out on a large overland map of Middle-earth that's divided into distinct territories, similar to the playing board in a game like Risk. You'll be able to play as any of the game's playable factions, and you can even draft computer-controlled allies if you wish. In the most basic game, the forces of good will begin on one end of the map, while the forces of evil will begin on the other. You'll begin the game with a regular army and a hero character (you can also hire minor hero characters, though they won't advance in level the way your primary character does), and you'll then attempt to take over the entire map. You can do so by moving your army into adjacent territories and then claiming them for yourself. But remember that some are bigger and more desirable than others, since they may house resources or garrisons that will let you grow your armies.

　　Needless to say, you can't move your armies into lands that your enemies occupy without a fight. And when you make such a move, the game will initiate a battle. Interestingly, you have the option of resolving the conflict as a standard real-time strategy battle in which you'll select units, choose formations, cast magic spells, and so on, but you'll also have the option to auto-resolve battles. The way auto-resolution will work is still being fine-tuned, but the development team plans to encourage players to play out their battles in real time; otherwise, auto-resolve will probably be reliable only for those battles in which you've got your enemy severely outnumbered.

　　The multiplayer will give you plenty of options to play with.

　　All things considered, Battle for Middle-earth II's multiplayer should have a lot to offer strategy fans. Yes, the game will have an expanded stable of playable factions with new abilities, new spells, and even a few new graphical enhancements and special effects. However, the create-a-hero feature should furnish plenty of variety and give players more than enough options while they're actually playing the game (and something to think about even when they're not). The unusual new War of the Ring mode will also add a higher-level strategy to the game's multiplayer, and it may even appeal to players who don't have the fastest real-time strategy reflexes (and don't care to develop them). Stay tuned to GameSpot for more updates on this promising strategy sequel as we lead up to its release date early next year.