World of Warcraft may be the Sauron of online roleplaying games (RPGs) but there’s a new band of Hobbits in town hoping to drag a few million players into a new world.

The most eagerly awaited online RPG, Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar, launched yesterday and hopes are high that millions of fans of Tolkien’s books and Peter Jackson’s movies will take up the quest.

In development for four years, this is the first online game based on Tolkien’s world and invites players to enter the world as an elf, dwarf, human or hobbit. The game environment looks stunning and players will have more than enough chances to fight back the Orc and goblin hordes, stand toe-to-toe with a cave troll, tackle the Witch King, meet Gandalf the Grey or stop for a few flagons of ale at the Prancing Pony.

David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming said: "It’s great that the many, many fans of this incredible game can begin their heroic adventures through Middle-earth. The response so far has been nothing short of stunning and we’re hugely excited about launching this unique game and look forward to it having a profound effect in the market."

Out now, the standard edition of the game costs £25 online, with 30-days free play, after which a montly fee applies. There’s also numerous special and limited collector editions too.

games lord of the rings PC online