Pandemic Studios has announced that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Nintendo DS platforms, will ship January 9, 2009 internationally and January 13, 2009 in the U.S.

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an action-packed new game created by the same Pandemic Studios team behind the Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II titles.

Set in the 'Lord of the Rings' universe of J.R.R. Tolkien as depicted by the Academy Award-winning films, players will finally fight the entirety of these epic battles any way they want. In addition to crusading as the heroic forces of good, for the first time ever in a 'Lord of the Rings' action title they'll conquer Middle-earth while playing as the legions of Sauron's evil army, including Cave-trolls, Oliphaunts, the Balrog and Sauron himself.

"We have been working hard to create a 'Lords of the Rings' experience like no other," says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder.

"Players will finally be able to fight through Middle-earth along the frontlines of good or evil," says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. "And what 'The Lord of the Rings' fan hasn't fantasized about joining Sauron's army to slay Hobbits?"