LotR 1 is one of my all-time favorites. My whole family played the heck out of this. Even my Mom and sister love this game. And there's a lot to love: strategic dot warfare, resource micro management, sending hate mail to the other nobles; you can even design your own castle! And the cows moo when you click em! It's a game with tons of replay value, as you can become King all over again on the alternate map. LotR 2 is a solid game as well. Even though you can't design your own castle. :( This bundle is worth triple the price GOG is selling it for, easy.
I am admittedly biased in favor of this game, having played hundreds of hours of it over the past 2 decades. It's occasionally clunky; having to deal out your artifacts to champions, the party formation, boarding ships... But I still feel anyone who enjoys fantasy/RPG strategy needs to give this a shot. The game got replay value. Out the wahzoo. 8 faiths to choose from, each with their own units and spell trees; and enough differentiation between them you that WILL want to try them all. A large map with randomized dungeons where you find epic gear or spells for your champions; the true endgame, and collecting all the artifacts will be a lengthy journey. And you have to do this while fending off the Lord of Death, who glides around the world, slaughtering the other Lords. The bad is dated animation, clunky interface, a middling balance between Faiths, exploits... The good is dated animation(it's hilarious) the voice acting (quote-worthy) and the heroic feel of the game. And the city-building mechanic is the same for all Faiths- so you easily retain the fundamentals for your many replays. One of my favorites and I wish there were more like it.
