 The Battle for Middle @-@ earth II received generally favorable reviews from video game critics . Reviews praised the game 's integration of the Lord of the Rings universe into a real @-@ time strategy title , while criticism targeted the game 's unbalanced multiplayer mode . The Battle for Middle @-@ earth II received numerous awards , including the Editors ' Choice Award from IGN . At the end of March 2006 , The Battle for Middle @-@ earth II reached fourth in a list of the month 's best @-@ selling PC games . A Windows expansion pack for the game was released on November 28 , 2006 , called The Rise of the Witch @-@ king , which features a new faction known as Angmar , new units , and several gameplay improvements . 
