This is a single-player role-playing game with a fast-paced, turn-based combat system. Players follow the storyline of the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's saga and control the members of the Fellowship, at times directing the actions of up to nine characters at once during battle sequences. Gameplay takes place across realistic backgrounds faithful to Tolkien's descriptions. The semilinear structure of the game allows players to experiment and explore the world of Middle-earth while staying true to Frodo's quest to keep the One Ring from the hands of the Dark Lord Sauron.