Christmases don't get much better than this for Tolkien fanatics. Not only can you enjoy the delights of EA's Return of the King game, but Vivendi are also stepping up to the fray with a Middle-Earth-inspired offering, in the form of The Hobbit. As you will all surely know, the Hobbit is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, telling the story of one Bilbo Baggins, a down-to-earth Hobbit who becomes unwittingly thrust into a rather epic adventure. Quite rightly the game casts you as this humble protagonist and sees you, amongst other things, explore the depths of a virtually recreated Middle Earth. The quest has you travel from Bilbo's peaceful Hobbit-hole in Hobbiton, through the dark and harrowing Mirkwood, to the Lonely Mountain, home of Smaug the Dragon. Along the way, an assortment of hazards stand in your way - from gaping chasms to treacherous mountains - hordes of enemies must be destroyed, and a great many puzzles need to be solved. Gameplay itself tends to combine an assortment of different genres, featuring elements of action, stealth and those of your more typical RPG. Making up the action side of things is a deep combat system and a feature that enables you to acquire five different abilities that grow and change, based on what you do in the game. Throughout the game, a host of familiar characters populate the virtual Middle-Earth, such as Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, and Goblins. You also encounter some more friendly faces along the way, however, including Gandalf and Thorin the Dwarf.