THE HOBBIT. Publisher: Vivendi Universal. Format: PS2, Xbox, PC, GameCube, GBA. Price: £39.99 (PS2 version).

NOW The Return of the King has finally opened in cinemas, fans of Tolkien's epic fantasy have nothing much to look forward to apart from the inevitable DVD extended edition towards the end of 2004.

If you can't wait that long for another fix of Middle Earth then grab this adventure from your local games store and journey back to the story that started the whole saga off.

Fans will know that the hobbit of the title is Bilbo Baggins (the ancient hobbit who shuffles off in the boat at the end of Return...) in his younger days.

Keen Tolkien scholars will also tell you that The Hobbit is a very different story to the multi-layered Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's aimed at a much younger reader for a start and much the dark spooky stuff that makes the later LOTR books such a hoot is missing.

So it proves with this game. The Hobbit looks more like that sort of thing you'd find on the cartoon channel than a gaming version of Peter Jackson's epic movies.

The graphics are all primary colours, the characters themselves have a cartoon-like visage and the violence is nothing to get alarmed about. Playing as Bilbo, you have to go on the usual quest to help the dwarves claim back their treasure from an evil dragon called Smaug.

Enemies have to be seen off with a walking stick or a few stones (where are the giant elephants when you need 'em?). Make good progress and Bilbo finally tools up with a sword and the ring, which grants him a cloak of invisibility.

There are also plenty of bonus items to be won if you take part in some of Bilbo's tasks (finding food or sundries) but these can be ignored if you just want to get on with the adventure.

There's also a fair bit of platforming to be done but The Hobbit is fairly forgiving of random button bashers and there are too many "throw the pad at the TV screen" moments when Bilbo falls to his death because you didn't get your timing spot on.

I haven't read the book but my wife, who has, tells me the game adheres fairly closely to the plot.

Younger fans will certainly find The Hobbit a diverting little adventure although anyone who has just seen the movies will probably be hoping for something a little more adult.

LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING. Publisher: EA Games. Formats: PS2, PC, Xbox,GameCube and GBA. Price: £39.99.

AND here is the game of the film fans have been waiting to get their hands on.

After a stuttering debut, last year's LOTR game (The Two Towers) was something of a guilty pleasure for many gamers, including me. It had pace, grace and graphics to die for.

So can Return of the King match up to its well liked predecessor? Well, as the two share much technology beneath the skin, the answer is: "yes".

As with all EA games, the presentation is terrific. Return of the King opens with a quick recap of what's happened in the movies before plunging straight into the action, casting you as the white wizard Gandalf.

Once the adventure has begun proper (and it follows the movie plot closely) you get the choice of character to play and each one has different attributes.

The fighting is a real pulse-pounding experience and the game world is convincingly recreated. Sound effects and voice acting are all top drawer. Clearly, this a franchise that's been lovingly recreated in computer game form by people every bit as meticulous as Peter Jackson, the one-time gore hound movie director responsible for the LOTR films.

If there is a serious problem it's the old cry that the camera sometimes fails to keep pace with the on-screen action, leaving you at a serious disadvantage when so many enemies are looking to skin you alive.

That gripe aside, Return of the King is a rollicking adventure that all lovers of the books and the films shouldn't be without.