LEGO The Hobbit

After the success of LEGO: The Lord of the Rings it was difficult to doubt that we would see a brick-based game following the story of The Hobbit, and here we are. Bringing us the story The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug we have LEGO The Hobbit. In the vein of previous LEGO games, The Hobbit will blend platforming, roleplaying game elements and combat.

In this kid-friendly take on Middle-Earth, players will be able to take on the role of their favourite characters, including Bilbo, Gandalf, and all the Dwarves: Thorin, F�li, K�li, Oin, Gl�in, Dwalin, Balin Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori and Ori. Yes, that IS a lot of dwarves. Don't worry, though, they've been put to good use.

Each of them has a strong finishing move, for example. Thorin can knock enemies up with his shield before slashing them down with his sword. Dwalin has a gargantuan hammer perfect for taking out multiple enemies in one swipe. Kili can fire three arrows instead of one. They each have something to offer.

Traveller's Tales isn't oblivious to the fact that there are more dwarves than you could shake a stick at on screen, either. The new buddy-up system allows players to team up a couple of the dwarves and control them as a single unit to deliver devastating attacks. The system also comes into play with puzzles. You might, for example, buddy up three dwarves with staffs in order to create a long pole for another character to shimmy up.

There's also loot up for grabs. Collecting items such as planks, rocks, ore and rope from the wreckage of the environment will enable you to unlock building mini-games.

There are plenty of collectibles to hunt down, with Traveller's Tales having pushed roleplaying game elements of the title. There's a huge open-world LEGO Middle-Earth to explore (including locations such as Bag End, The Misty Mountains, Goblin-town and Rivendell), with the questing and mithril brick crafting of LEGO: Lord of the Rings having been expanded on, too.

All of this is delivered, of course, with the trademark charm and humour of the LEGO games that families have come to know and love!