Big name licence conversions - and they don't get much bigger than The Lord Of The Rings series - are very much a double-edged sword, if you pardon the pun. On the one hand developers are spared the difficult challenge of having to actually come up with a decent idea for a game, but the flip side is the huge responsibility of having to deliver an authentic experience to a market that will already be familiar with the story and have high expectations.

Licence games are a notoriously fickle bunch, but when a conversion occasionally succeeds it not only provides a decent game but also a good complement to the existing subject matter. That's exactly what you get with The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers - a great game that captures the spirit of Tolkien's world combined with lots of additional extras for fans of the series.

Unlike the previous adventure-style antics of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers is very much of the hack and slash variety. The title takes you through the best parts of both movies in a slugfest of Orc slaying and monster mashing.

The opening sequence is a good example of how the game unfolds. There's no standard introduction screen with list of options; instead you're presented with cinematics from the opening battle in the first film, explaining the history of the ring (which, if you've been living under a rock recently, grants its wearer ultimate power). The epic film sequence seamlessly merges into in-game graphics and places you in the heart of the fighting in a training sequence that is both quite novel and also great fun.

It's this blend of film footage combined with the actual gameplay that gives The Two Towers a great pace and an illusion that you are actually playing through the film's story rather than just indulging in a few isolated episodes. You get to play as one of three central characters - Aragorn the swashbuckling swordsman, Gimli the dwarf axeman, or Legolas the twin knife-wielding elf. You can select whichever character you wish at the start of each level throughout the game, which is useful as their attributes can be better suited to different missions.

As you progress through the game you will gain experience points for completing a level and chaining combos together to hit multiple foes. These points have a dual purpose. Firstly, they convert into upgrade points that allow you to purchase a wide range of attacks, combos, or better health and armour. And secondly, as you gain more experience points your character will also increase in level.

Each level has its own range of attributes that can be purchased, thus ensuring your upgrade catalogue is chunky enough to rival Argos's.

The control is easy enough, although initially it may seem like it's an exercise in frantic button-bashing. But after purchasing a few combos (which normally involve two buttons and the occasional trigger), the fighting style becomes more refined, which is necessary when taking on some of the harder foes that require parrying and dodging as well as hacking and slashing.

The only real downfall of The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers is the brevity of the game combined with the linearity of gameplay. There are only twelve levels, some of which can be too quick to finish, and it's very much a 'straight path' game with invisible walls lurking everywhere and very clear mission objectives that can't be diverted from.

This naturally limits replay value, but the desire to build up each of your characters coupled with three difficulty settings will encourage further play.

As a package, The Two Towers captures the epic feel of the films and subsequently delivers an authentic licence conversion. The graphics are good, with detailed texture and lighting effects and no slowdown even when there's lots happening on screen. The orchestral soundtrack serves to enhance the action, especially when it builds to crescendo in the heat of battle. You'll really feel like you're part of the Fellowship, and this is the most fun you can have with swords without causing yourself a nasty injury.

1. Great use of licence
2. Highly polished product
3. Good control system
4. Great soundtrack

1. A bit too short
2. Only single player

Power
No slowdown, good graphics and load speeds. Nothing outstanding compared with the PS2 version.

Style
Excellent blend of cinematics and in-game action complimented further by a top-notch soundtrack.

Immersion
The epic nature of the battles makes you want to see what's lurking behind the next level.

Lifespan
A bit too short but plenty of unlockable goodies and secret missions to aspire to.

Summary
If you like The Lord Of The Rings and you like playing games then you're going to love this.