Thanks, like I say the game is inspired by love of the Lord of the Rings, which I first read around 30 years ago when I was 13. I listened to the BBC radio series when it was first broadcast, and purchased the boxed cassettes.
I enjoyed the cartoon film, even though it wasn't particularly true to the book, and the hobbits were too childish...
I thought the recent trilogy of films had amazing special effects, but were a little disappointing. The main thing I liked about them were the battle scenes, especially around Helms Deep. From reading the book, I could never get a clear picture of how that fortress may have looked.
I played lotro online from June 2006 when it was first released, and for several years thoroughly enjoyed the game. I lost interest with the Mirkwood expansion. Recently my wife and I went back, and made some new characters on a new server. The game is still good, but playing it again is never the same... :(