the enemy at Helms Deep. While these usually amount to little more than quick time events, they capture the excitement of the moment so effectively you're unlikely to care. You might be more bothered by a number of small frustrations with the control system. The inventory and character selection are handled via pinwheel, which in turn is accessed by holding a face button. It's a clunky system, particularly in the heat of battle, sometimes leaving you to take unnecessary damage. With so many buttons on the controller unused, a simpler method could surely be devised. The camera can throw up issues too, sometimes hiding key items just off-screen which occasionally acts to cheapen the otherwise well-designed puzzles. Party AI can be erratic, with companions becoming stuck on scenery and offering little resistance in a fight. You might be part of a fellowship, but it's up to you to do the heavy lifting. Fellowship Some of these issues can be avoided by playing the game with a friend. The game is even more entertaining in co op, and there's less need to fiddle around switching characters so that puzzle-solving and combat become smoother experiences. The only let-down is that online co op remains absent. The LEGO series has been crying out for online adventuring, and this would have been the perfect title to implement it. Lord of the Rings is the biggest challenge yet faced by Traveler's Tales games and their LEGO adaptations, and for the most part they've pulled it