 Set in the regions of northern Middle @-@ earth , the game focuses on the events of the War in the North . For the sake of gameplay , the game takes several liberties with Tolkien 's works and the film trilogy . Some characters were altered in their appearances , abilities , and roles ; for instance , a combat role in the game is given to Tom Bombadil , a merry and mysterious hermit who appears in The Lord of the Rings but does not take part in the war . In addition , Tolkien 's earlier novel The Hobbit lends several elements to the game , including characters such as the Giant Spiders from Mirkwood . The story for The Battle for Middle @-@ earth II is divided into Good and Evil Campaigns . Both campaigns focus on the battles fought by the newly introduced factions : the Elves , Dwarves , and Goblins . The player goes through nine fixed missions in either easy , medium , or hard difficulty mode . Narrated cut scenes provide plot exposition between missions . 
