The Hobbit

The Hobbit is the prequel to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, a wonderful book detailing the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (and explaining how he obtains the ring that is key to the trilogy itself). And The Hobbit, from Sierra Entertainment, allows game players to assume the role of Bilbo, aiding his transformation from reluctant traveler to heroic adventurer.

The game itself is divided into a series of chapters which follow the book quite faithfully. Each chapter contains a series of objectives to be achieved and puzzles to be solved. These include collecting coins and gems (which can be used to buy powers and cures), rescuing trapped dwarves, battling giant spiders, saving a treasure from Smaug the fire breathing dragon, climbing and jumping across vines (some of which move or fall), moving tiles to solve logic puzzles so as to open locked doors, and many more.

Like the Sierra games so popular in the 80s and 90s (I was a major Kings Quest, Police Quest, Space Quest fan way back when), The Hobbit is linear, and there is little (if any) variation in game play each time the game is played. While this may annoy seasoned players it is ideal for younger players, allowing them to retry sequences as needed, and providing a real sense of accomplishment, too.

Game play itself is intuitive and simple. Even younger players mastered the simple controls with relative easy. Several puzzles and battle sequences proved challenging (and even frustrating) for younger players (6-8 years old) and help from older siblings was occasionally needed. (As an example, there are a couple of battle sequences where precise timing and exact positioning on screen are absolutely necessary).

Bilbo never dies. Well, he does, but the game will continue right away from the last save point. And there are lots and lots of save points. This is an important feature for younger players.

The Hobbit is rated E (Everyone) Violence, Comic Mischief. The game is indeed violent, the intent after all is to slay all sorts of beasts and creatures so as to save the day. But the game is not at all realistic, the characters and animation are far more cartoonish and comical than real, and so the violence is never actually violent at all. There is no blood, no gore, no dismembered limbs, carcasses just kind of evaporate, and Bilbo himself just reappears after dying. The beasts and ghouls are also far more comical than scary, making this title more suitable for younger players.

Every one of my game playing kids has played and replayed this game, thoroughly enjoying it in the process. The younger players (6-8) were more interested in finishing the game whilst the older players (10-14) played and replayed sequences in an attempt to find every point and win with a perfect score. This is not the type of game that they'll replay months after completing it, but whilst they were playing it this was definitely the most played title we own.

This one is highly recommended for all but the most serious and experienced gamers.

Summary: The Hobbit is one of the better gaming investments we've made, a fun game, and one that actually encouraged kids to read the book it was based on. Highly recommended.

Note: This game is also supported on PS2 and GameCube. As per company provided product details the game should be identical on all platforms, however we've only played it on Xbox, and this review is based only on the game as played.