The Lord of the Rings Online Preview

The guys at Games Radar have kicked up a two-page preview of Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
One of the most trumpted new features of LOTR Online is Monster Play. Anyone familiar with World of Warcraft knows about the rivalry between the Horde and Alliance. The struggle between the forces of Sauron and the Fellowship of the Ring is even more compelling (if box office gross is any indication.) But there's no story for the evil side of the coin, and LOTR Online is promising much more in the way of narrative satisfaction than other MMOs. What to do? The answer is Monster Play.

Once you hit level 10, you'll gain access to a "fell scrying pool." Stare into the waters and you'll find yourself transported to a new realm - transformed into a monster. Though your strength as an evil creature will reflect your main character's level, your monster has its own name, statistics and abilities. You'll be able to play as an orc, Uruk-hai, giant spider or wolf-like Warg. Once you're in, you gain access to a new zone where you can pick up quests only possible while evil.