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Interactive Tolkien Web site comes online - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

July 18, 2000 at 22:26:02

Ben Milder, the young force behind the popular Entmoot message board, and Darth Tater (otherwise known as Joshua Truitt) have taken the fan Website concept a step further.

Today they announced the grand opening of The Tolkien Trail, an interactive Web site which leads the visitor through Tolkien's Middle-earth and introduces them to characters new and old.

The only sections presently available are the Shire and Bree, but they make a very good first impression on the visitor. A javascript window prompts you for your name, and from that point forward the characters "speak" to you directly (Barliman Butterbur even hands you a personally addressed letter from Gandalf).

The custom artwork brings the characters to life and lends an air of mystery to the browsing experience (the masthead changes slightly with each page).

Gandalf leads you to the Shire, where you can play a riddle game with Frodo Baggins at Bag End, search for words in Michel Delving, work a slider puzzle in Buckland, or let the Tooks roust you with mad libs. And you can visit Longbottom in the Southfarthing to play a game of concentration.

The next section of the Tolkien Trail to be opened (hopefully later this month) is Rivendell, which will feature fan tales and songs. The Webmasters are soliciting contributions from all Tolkien fans.

As fan Web sites go, this one is a rare gem in our experience. Entmoot is just full of surprises....