John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien (1892-1973) was a World War I veteran and Oxford English professor who wrote the words “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” on a blank piece of paper while grading essays one day. Determined to find out what a hobbit was, he soon discovered a character named Bilbo Baggins, a short, furry-footed, dwarf-like creature with a penchant for tending his garden, smoking a pipe and living a quiet life, much like his creator.

However, Tolkien was a student of mythology, particularly the Norse myths, and he was well aware that Bilbo would need an adventure if he was going to write a compelling story. Soon 12 dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf came to Bilbo’s door and took him on a journey to retrieve a vast treasure from a dragon named Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encountered the despicable Gollum and wound up with his magic ring, which turned out to be The One Ring.

The Hobbit was a best-seller upon its publication in 1937, causing Tolkien’s publisher to ask for a sequel. With a family and a career also requiring his time, Tolkien worked on The Lord of the Rings for over a decade before finally turning it in. It was broken into three volumes, much to the author’s dismay, and published annually for three years in the mid 1950s. By the 1960s, the book had made its way to America and become a sensation on college campuses across the country.

Tolkien, however, kept his quaint lifestyle going until he died in 1973 (he was so rooted in the simple life that he never owned a TV or a dishwasher). An animated version of The Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi, was released in 1978. It covered only half the book, leaving out large chunks of the story along the way, and failed at the box office, pulling the plug on the sequel. Producers Rankin and Bass, who had put together an animated made-for-TV version of The Hobbit, sort of finished the story with their Return of the King adaptation in 1980, but there was no continuity between the two in terms of voice-over actors, animation style, or even tone.

In the late 1990s, director Peter Jackson set out to adapt The Lord of the Rings as two films for the studio Miramax, who got cold feet and decided against the project. Jackson then turned to New Line, who approved three movies. The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in December 2001, with The Two Towers and The Return of the King following a year apart. All three were huge successes at the box office, and the final installment took home 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay

Over the River and Through the Woods to an Ent Moot We Go. Make your way deep into Fangorn Forest; orcs are not your only concern there.

The Last Stand. Help defeat the orc hordes that attack Helm’s Deep.

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  Gandalf: Known to many in Middle-earth as The Grey Pilgrim his death and resurrection turned him into Gandalf the White, this wizard is a formidable character who is adept with both a sword and his staff, which he uses to rain magical attacks down on enemies. He and the other wizards arrived in Middle-earth over 2,000 years before the events in The Return of the King. Gandalf spent many years developing relationships with elves and men and became a member of the White Council, which was led by wizard-turned-traitor Saruman.

  Gandalf doesn’t start the game very strong, but he becomes almost invincible by the time he reaches tenth level. His killing move is a bit slow, so your best bet is to stick with ranged attacks whenever possible. Bulk up on magical upgrades, especially his shield that’s impervious to missiles.
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  Aragorn Elessar: This heir to the throne of Gondor was well into his 80s by the time of the events of this story, although he looked half his age or less. He’s a ranger who roamed all over Middle-earth for decades, often helping Gandalf with tasks. Eventually he was asked to meet the hobbits at a town called Bree and escort them to Rivendell, home of Elrond. When the Fellowship broke up, he, Legolas and Gimli forged their own path in pursuit of the hobbits Merry and Pippin, who were captured by orcs. He carries Anduril, which was known as Narsil when it shattered during the defeat of Sauron many years before. Now Aragorn has re-forged it and employs it against the Dark Lord’s army.

  As a ranger, Aragorn has the use of both a bow and sword. He’s solid in all areas and sports a quick killing move. Of the three characters you have to choose from when going down his path, Aragorn is the best option for levels that require a lot of hand-to-hand combat.

• Legolas Greenleaf: He is the son of the Lord of the Elves of Mirkwood, a forest that Bilbo Baggins passed through during his adventures in The Hobbit. Legolas set out for Rivendell to join the Fellowship of the Ring and defend Middle-earth on behalf of the elves.

  Legolas’ bow and arrow attack is much deadlier than his sword. Use him in levels where there’s a lot of ranged fighting.

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  Gimli: This dwarf belongs to the House of Durin, which once ruled a great underground kingdom in the Mines of Moria, a forbidding place that the Fellowship passed through after they left Rivendell. He developed a friendship with Legolas, and the two had a competition during the Battle of Helm’s Deep to see who could kill more orcs.

  Gimli is probably the least useful of the three characters in Aragorn’s path. His ranged attack, which consists of throwing axes, is the weakest of the three. His hand-to-hand attacks with his mighty axe are more powerful than his companions’ melee strikes, but he’s slow with his swings and his killing move isn’t very quick, which means you better kill your enemies with one or two strikes while using him.

• Frodo Baggins: The nephew of Bilbo, Frodo inherited the One Ring from his uncle and eventually found himself bearing the burden of taking it to Mount Doom. Both of his parents died in a boating accident when he was young, prompting Bilbo to bring him to his home in Bag End.

  You play Frodo during the climactic final level in Mount Doom. Later, when you can use him during any level in the game, you’ll notice that his attacks, including his killing move, are quick, and that his throwing knives come with poison that fells his enemies even when the initial damage isn’t enough to bring them down. The downside is that his attacks aren’t very powerful, so he must strike many blows in succession to kill his enemies.

• Samwise Gamgee: Tolkien based Frodo’s faithful companion on the men who loyally assisted their officers in the British Army during World War I. Sam was Frodo’s gardener until he overheard Gandalf telling Frodo about the One Ring, at which point he discovered his master’s task and demanded to come along, no matter the consequences. He stayed loyal to Frodo even when his master tried to break away from the Fellowship alone. He doesn’t trust Gollum, but he understands why Frodo insists on bringing the vile creature along.

  Sam’s abilities are in line with Frodo’s, although his blows do a bit more damage. As you play their path, make sure you give him the final judgment upgrade.

Stumped? Then you may need some help, thanks to the cheat codes that are commonly placed in most videogames. They allow you to, well, cheat and change the rules. This sometimes includes activating bonuses, unlocking secrets and new levels of gameplay.

To unlock the cheats in The Return of the King, you must complete the game. To employ cheat codes during any mission you decide to replay, press Escape to pause the action. Press and hold the Left Control, Left Shift, and Left Alt Keys; while they’re held, input one of the numeric codes below. You will hear the sound of a sword being drawn if you entered it correctly. If you want to activate more cheats, you have to release the three keys and press them down again before entering another cheat.