xpansion packs exist to give you more of what you love, and that’s not a bad thing, since The Rise of the Witch-King gives us more of what was so prevalent in Battle for Middle-earth II – hordes of enemies to mow through. That fact, and a reutrn of the solid core gameplay mechanics from the earlier title are what make this game worth buying.

Although these games are RTSs, I’ve never really enjoyed their stories, and Rise of the Witch-King is no exception. Beyond being based on the events of The Tolkien’s Third Age, I found the art cutscenes and fill-in-the-gaps storytelling to be less than stirring. Also, playing as the Witch-King is not mind-blowing, and I say that from the perspective that this franchise is already filled with effective hero units – so that’s actually a compliment!

But then again, this is an RTS and not an RPG, so this title earns its gravitas more from the battles than the story. The new Thrall Master unit is a cool addition, given that he can summon units on site without having to go back to your base, allowing for quicker unit refreshes and more constant action. This kind of emphasis on unit production and combat over resources leads to some pretty epic battles. This game also does a good job of balancing the importance of siege equipment with the fun of being able to throw large numbers of ground units at a problem.

War of the Ring mode offers more persistence for units and greater movement allowance, and with the addition of the Thrall Masters and other useful evil units, this is a good expansion pack that does more than just hold the fort.