Back to the Tolkien computer games pageThis is a brave attempt to list all computer games that have a direct relationship with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.
Games can be searched by distribution form, category, computer system, distributor/producer, language, title or year of release. Each search category has its own page with links to the games.
All games in this list conform to one or both of the following two criteria:
I have included two games that do not fulfill any of these criteria. They are Jewels of Darkness and The Dungeons of Moria. See the respective pages to find out why they are here still.
Other games that have only stolen the title from Tolkien's works, or that are loosely based on Tolkien's story but with too many details altered, are not included. This includes the following:
Every game is listed on a separate page. First on each page is the title of the game. Following lines include different kinds of information, as described:
Produced by: The company that designed and programmed
the game.
Distributor: The company that distributed the game.
Author: Programmer, designer or project leader for the
game.
Year: The year the game was first released. If several
versions exist, the year refers to the first.
Version: The latest version of the game, if several exist.
If known, the release year of this version is given in
parentheses.
System: The computer system(s) for which the game has been
released.
Type: The type of the game. Text adventure means just that
while illustrated text adventure is a text adventure with
pictures for all or several locations. RPG (role-playing game) is
a game in the tradition of Rogue, either graphic or ASCII-based
and usually showing a view from above the player.
Language: The language that the game is in. If this field
is left out, English is implied.
Covers: The book(s) or part thereof that the game covers. If this field
is left out, the game is set in Tolkien's Middle-earth, but not based on any
of Tolkien's books.
Distribution: Distribution form for the game. This can be
Commercial, Freeware or whatever is appropriate.
Availability: How to obtain the game, if possible. Games that
are out of print may generally be difficult to
find.
Licensed: Many (even most) of the games do not have a license from the Tolkien
estate, nor from Tolkien Enterprises. This field indicates, whether it is licensed
and if so by whom.
Then follows some general information about the game and after that my Personal evaluation which (and you have been warned) are my very personal views on the quality of the game.
A missing line indicates either that the information is unknown or unapplicable.
Thereafter follow cover image and screen-shots, if any. Then there are references to other Internet resources about the game and finally there are cross-references to other related games on these pages, such as sequels.
I would be overjoyed to get any kind of feedback on this monster. Please contact me. I am interested in other games, more information about the ones I have, more screen-shots and cover scans and just about anything else. I also have some specific requests for help.