From the Developer's web site:


Experience Middle-earth like never before in The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth, the first The Lord of the Rings game that puts you in command of a real-time, open world. Control the legendary heroes, massive armies, and epic campaigns of Middle-earth in over 25 missions based on all three films of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. From waging all-out combat among the vast forces of good and evil to controlling your favorite heroes and characters to managing the troops and resources of your side, the fate of a living, breathing Middle-earth is in your hands.

From the contributor:

The Battle for Middle Earth is surprising in that it takes some bold steps to change the RTS standard fare with a very high profile franchise. Most notably, the system for creating buildings and your base in general is very different from the RTS standard. Many people don't care for it, and it was in fact revised for the sequel. Whether that change bothers you or not, the game is enjoyable and also introduces a high-level campaign map which adds another level of tactics and decision making for the player.