The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game is the latest addition to the Adventure Book Games series by Ravensburger. This cooperative game is designed to recreate iconic scenes from the popular Lord of the Rings story in a board game format. The game consists of a campaign of 8 chapters, each representing a memorable scene from the story. In most cases, players must complete a few challenges in order to progress through each chapter. There’s also a corruption track that represents the characters’ descent into darkness. If the players reach the end of this track, they lose the campaign.

The gameplay is straightforward and involves each player managing their own hand of cards and moving miniatures or tokens around the board. With each turn, players get up to two movements and can play cards from their hand for extra movements. They can also trade cards with other players. Cards have specific tags required for each challenge, so balancing movement and holding onto cards for completing challenges is key. Ring cards are considered wild tags and can also be played for specific powers in each challenge, but discarding or playing ring cards increases corruption.

The game exceeded my expectations and turned out to be quite enjoyable, even though I didn’t have high hopes going in. Each chapter presents a unique puzzle, while the gameplay basics remain the same. Though the challenges are generally simple, players can come very close to losing if they don’t pay attention. As the campaign progresses, the chapters become progressively more challenging. However, special cards with powerful actions can be added to the deck throughout the campaign, which helps to balance the difficulty. While the luck of the draw can be a negative factor, as discarding too many cards to move may result in not finding the required tags for completing challenges, this is not a significant issue since the game is light and each chapter takes about 20 minutes to play.

In terms of components, the game includes seven miniatures and a beautiful book with thick cardboard pages that act as the game board. The cards are not of the highest quality, but they serve their purpose. It is also worth noting that this is the first game I received without a shrink wrap or punchboards. The box was sealed with tape that did not damage the box, and all tokens were already punched and packed in a single bag.

Overall, The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game is a light, family-friendly game that is not overly complex or too challenging. It is a great option for family nights or for playing with Lord of the Rings fans who prefer lighter games. If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings and are looking for a laid-back experience, this game is worth considering.

Disclosure: We received a review copy of this game. Also, there may be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.