WESTWOOD, MA and CHICAGO, IL - Turbine, Inc. and Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) announced a massive, free "World Tour of Middle-earth" available to players throughout North America.  Over one million players are planned to be invited into The Lord of the Rings Online^TM: Shadows of Angmar^TM, the most complete and authentic massively multiplayer online (MMO) world based upon the famous Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The World Tour of Middle-earth is scheduled to begin on April 6^th and continue until the anticipated launch of the game on April 24^th.

"We decided to launch the World Tour of Middle-earth because of the overwhelming demand from players to get into the closed beta," said Jeffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "We expect the World Tour of Middle-earth to be a spectacular event like nothing that you've ever seen before."

Free access to this hotly anticipated game combined with the staggering size and scale of the World Tour of Middle-earth make this an unprecedented event in the MMO industry.  Players can pre-order the game at select retail stores nationwide or at www.lotro.com/preorder and start their adventures in Middle-earth beginning on March 30^th.

Advancement in the game will be capped at level 15 which will give players a great opportunity to experience the most authentic online persistent recreation of Middle-earth ever created.  Players should visit www.lotro.com/worldtour to get more information on how to obtain a World Tour key.