The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria review – mining a shallow vein

PC (version tested), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S; Free Range Games/North Beach Games
Picking up after the defeat of Sauron, in Tolkien-world terms, this survival game traps you in the dwarven mines, fighting green-skins and crafting weapons as you go - but it's a bit one-dimensional

The elves have exited on ships bound for the west, humans are at the top of the pecking order across Middle-earth, and the dwarves are taking the opportunity to retake their greatest city, Khazad-dum: this survival game picks up after the defeat of Sauron, in the Fourth Age of Tolkien's world. Overrun by orcs and once ruled by a fiery Balrog, the loss of the mines of Moria remains a sticking point for our gold-loving excavators. You step into the steel toe-capped boots of a dwarf in the first expedition into the mines since the Fellowship carved a path through its dark tunnels and Gandalf met the long end of the Balrog's whip of fire.

The start of your own adventure doesn't go much better, as a barrel of TNT causes a cave-in that leaves you trapped in the city under the soil with no way of bringing in aid from outside. You must replicate the Fellowship's journey and head west through the mines to find an exit. Sauron may be gone, but the orcs of Moria haven't got the message. Facing a mine teeming with green-skins, you must set about crafting the weapons, armour, and pickaxes you need to survive.