Stepping into the massively multiplayer online game The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar delivers a mind-blowing experience from the first moments of the game. Players start out in a special newbie area (without any other players), but the photorealistic scenery and engaging non-player characters bring J.R.R. Tolkien's written word to life. From the outset, players come with a few pre-set abilities, making even the first rush of combat more interesting than that found in other online games. All these factors, plus a near-perfect MMORPG experience, makes leaving the world of Middle-earth a challenge.

Players can take on Middle-earth as a man, elf, dwarf or a hairy-footed Hobbit. As with any MMORPG, each race offers different game experience. Each race, for instance, gets a unique introduction to the game that will lead into different tutorial-type quests.

Hobbits and Men start out by defending some of Frodo's relatives from a Nazgul. The Elves intro starts hundreds of years ago at the destruction of Edhelion and catches up to the Dwarven intro, with a cult trying to resurrect an evil Dwarven lord. These intros then spawn a dozen quests that ease the player into the MMO experience. Clever intro quests show how to work to the game's controls, combat, questing and their character and interaction with a few other low-level players helps ensure a smooth transition to the larger areas of the game.

Also like other MMOs, classes will make a difference in a character's skill set. This game's lineup includes Burglars, Captains, Champions, Guardians, Hunters, Lore-Masters and Minstrels, but some races can only choose certain classes. Men can take on any class, Dwarves can choose to be a Guardian, Champion, Minstrel and Hunter -- all classes that compliment Tolkien's exhaustive description of Dwarves' roles in the LOTR universe – and the same goes for the other races as well. The class system adds a lot of variety in the characters someone can create – a staple in any role-playing game -- but the real customization doesn't occur until achievements, titles, traits and virtues enter the picture.

Traits and titles bring a whole new level of innovation to creating a unique character. Traits are characteristics that must be earned through deeds, and are based on the character's class, race or location. For example, Hobbits who complete the "Enmity of the Wolves I" quest by slaying 50 wolves can earn a special attack called "Stoop for a Stone." Completing specific quests will unlock accomplishment-based traits. Completing 30 quests in Ered Luin (the starting Dwarven realm) will reward a character with two ranks of Charity, which makes them harder to wound, less vulnerable to ranged attacks and gives them the ability to regenerate power outside of combat. Characters can equip a limited number of traits at once, so deciding which to equip can be challenging

Titles can also add variety by simply providing bragging rights. Characters from the Misty Mountains can add "of the Misty Mountains" to the end of their name. Titles acquired by deed, like "the Wary" or "The Undying" lets others know that a player climbed to level five or level 20 without dying, respectively. Titles can be earned by completing certain quests also or for certain social interactions. Look out for anyone with "The Naughty" attached to their name – that means at least 100 people have scolded them for bad behavior.