" If you're seriously jonesin' for some Dwarf action and I know I was, what with the Midget rodeo out of town, there's a definite benefit to picking up the Gimli starter. "

      Title: The Lord of the Rings; Mines of Moria Collectible Card Game expansion by Decipher (Getting longer by the minute)

      Format: Table Top card mayhem starring short people from a movie

      Reviewing Monkey: Chimpan-A

      The Hype: Well, the LotR card game has been doing pretty well making a name for itself. And if that's not a reason to release an expansion, I can't think of a better one. The big question is, does the expansion bring much to the table, or is it just dealing off the bottom of the deck?

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Playability: The game functions in completely the same way post expansion. Which means that the game is still just as fun and playable as before. The game uses a kind of balancing system to determine the cards people can play. Every card the good player plays increases the number of cards the evil player can play. It's really a brilliant system and works quite well. There wasn't a whole lot added to the expansion by way of content. A few new items here and there. Mostly in the way of keywords, words which indicate a character is capable of doing something. In other words, somebody new to spot for certain card requirements. Nothing to really affect the way the game is played. Heck, even the rulebook remained largely unchanged. 4.5 out of 5

      Aesthetics: More scenes from the movies. The expansion introduces a Dwarf deck to the mix of Men and Gandalf (elves are due out fairly soon, possibly by the time you read this). Since the dwarves weren't featured very prominently in the movie, you may not recognize a lot of the faces. Otherwise the cards are looking as good as ever. Sauron's forces round out the other half of the Dwarf deck and about as good looking as orcs get. 5 out of 5

      Balance: The new dwarves in the group seem to work rather well against orcs, which accounts for two out of the four villain types (Moria and Sauron, not Isuldur or the Ringwraiths). Moria performs well against the dwarves however, so it balances out (Sauron's forces seem to do well against Men). Otherwise there wasn't a lot added to affect balance. 4 out of 5

      Value vs. Cost: Still can't get the full experience with just one starter deck. Otherwise, the price stayed the same. If you're seriously jonesin' for some Dwarf action and I know I was, what with the Midget rodeo out of town, there's a definite benefit to picking up the Gimli starter. 4 out of 5

      The Verdict:

The expansion doesn't really add much more than new cards with new art to this already excellent game. I suppose it's a case of "It ain't broke, don't fix it." I like the new cards and all, but I'm still waiting for my "teleport in Balrog" card, which should be the bell of any ball.

      The Good: Still the same excellent game.

      The Bad: Still the same excellent game.

      The Overall Ugly: Dwarves and Sauron. More to come.

      What it's Worth: $15.00 same as the original.