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The Hobbit

Platform: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

By Chris Ching

It's hard to believe a console adaptation of the Hobbit hasn't been made until now. One of the most cherished books of a fanboy's formative years, it has all the hallmarks of what makes a great game- especially in its narrative. Adventuring Hobbit Bilbo Baggins faces one predicament after another with each more difficult than what came before, culminating in a match with a seemingly undefeatable foe, Smaug the dragon. Sounds like archetypal video game material, eh?

Not exactly. Developer Inevitable have worked hard to create a rich Middle Earth environment to play through, and Hobbit devotees will definitely get a kick out of it. However, the game is quite mundane. Receive objective. Solve objective. Get Reward. And so on and so on. The "Greatest Adventure" can be a little boring in spots.

The character design is very cartoonlike which will be a serious turnoff to those weaned on Peter Jackson's Trilogy. The tone of the game is also more lighthearted than Electronic Arts The Two Towers and The Return of the King games, but after all, The Hobbit never offered up the kind of tragedy seen in the Lord of the Rings. You'll do much sneaking around since Bilbo joined the Lonely Mountain quest as a burglar. Action is by no means lacking in the game; as Bilbo you get to slay spiders and goblins with your trusty Sting. Yes, you do get to use the ring, but why in Middle Earth did the makers of The Hobbit decide to not let Gollum participate in the action? His sole appearance inexplicably occurs in one of the mini-scenes in between levels.

The bottom line is if you love the book you will disregard the shortcomings of The Hobbit and enjoy taking Bilbo's quest. More casual players will want to look elsewhere.

Rating: (2 out of 4 stars)