The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is one of those games that absolutely deserves to return.
It remains one of the most memorable real-time strategy adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, with large-scale battles, distinct factions, powerful heroes and a fantastic sense of commanding armies across Middle-earth.
What made it especially enjoyable was the variety. Elves, Dwarves, Men, Mordor, Isengard and Goblins all offered different units and strategies, while the combination of base building, massive armies, heroes and spectacular abilities made battles constantly entertaining.
The game has certainly aged, but its core design is still remarkably enjoyable. It also represents a period when licensed strategy games could be ambitious, generous and built around much more than simply reproducing scenes from the films.
Unfortunately, Battle for Middle-earth II has effectively disappeared from modern digital distribution, despite still being remembered and played by a dedicated community.
This is exactly the kind of game that preservation should protect: a major licensed RTS, an important part of Lord of the Rings gaming history, and a title that should be legally available and easily playable on modern PCs again.