Another Tolkien Adventure

Once upon a time, and not so long ago as it seems, the Ballantine paperback editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy were as much a part of the uniforms of Boomdom as, say, flowers in your hair and a hash pipe in your denim shoulder bag.

Lord knows what kids actually read these days, but should they feel an urge to connect with what remains of the nuclear family, all involved might want to check out Interplay’s ambitious computer re-creations of Middle-earth. Volume I, “The Lord of the Rings,” has been out for a while; now comes Volume II, “The Two Towers,” in which Frodo Baggins, Gollum, Gandalf, Pippin, Aragon and the rest of the Fellowship try to regroup after the Orcs attack them and before the onset of the great Darkness and the concluding War of the Ring.

Tolkien’s books feature the usual array of role-playing characters--sundry bad guys such as trolls, spirits and dragons and the good hobbits, elves and humans. The games re-create these characters in a more dynamic if less vivid format. The quest theme that lies at the core of the “Rings” trilogy lends itself well to the interactive medium. And the game designers took a good shot at re-creating the multiple story lines of the trilogy’s second book.

All that said, it is hard to give “The Two Towers” a ringing endorsement. The graphics and the top-view playing field leave a lot to be desired. But a bigger problem lies with the actual playing of the game--not the plot but the execution. It’s not easily mastered, and the manual (though it has plenty of good stuff) doesn’t help as much as new fantasy players would like. You are likely to founder around for too long at the beginning as you try to figure out how the thing works.

Two Towers

Rating: ***

IBM and compatibles; 640K VGA; sound and mouse recommended. List: $59.95.

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.