Tired of online roleplaying games in which the "roleplaying" consists primarily of typing the attack command over and over again until you lose interest? Try ElendorMUSH, a true "Multi-User Shared Hallucination" in which you BECOME a living, breathing participant in the fantastic universe of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth!

Elendor is a totally free online roleplaying game that is a cross between an interactive novel and a video game. You start by creating a character of one of 5 different races: elf, hobbit, dwarf, orc, or human. Then join any of 18 different cultures, from the peaceful hole-dwelling hobbits of the Shire to the evil orc legions of Mordor. Life on Elendor is truly like a page out of one of Tolkien's novels. You might meet weary bands of dwarves hailing from the great Lonely Mountain, or dine with the magical elves of Rivendell, hidden land of Elrond Half-elven. Or you can be more adventurous and sail the waves of the great Western Sea in search of plunder with the pirates of Umbar, or flee in terror from the Ringwraiths, servants of the Dark Lord! You might even meet up with Gandalf himself in a tavern in Bree! Most of the characters you meet will be fully interactive and expressive because they are being controlled and played by other gamers just like you. In fact you can even apply to play the major roles like Gandalf or Aragorn. Once you experience the world of Elendor, you'll never go back to dry, combat-only "roleplaying" games.

Getting started on Elendor is very easy even if you've never played an online game before. Just go to the game webpage, http://www.elendor.net, and click on the link labeled "Connect to MUSH:". Once connected, you'll get lots of help from the online staff. With over 2000 players, Elendor is well populated every hour of the day or night. And the many friendly players and staff members there can answer your questions and help you get started playing.

If you're an experienced MUD-player, you've probably still never seen a game like Elendor. Elendor has been around since 1991 and has a full array of global systems including a finely-tuned skill/stat-based combat system, a full economic system with several forms of Middle-earth currency, an elaborate language system with support for 19 different spoken and written Tolkien languages, a convenient wardrobe system with which you can create a detailed collection of descriptions for your character, a custom designed chat system with over 100 channels, and its own mailer system equipped with over 100 bulletin boards where players plan game activities and discuss Tolkien's writing. The physical world on Elendor is equally impressive, and consists of over 1500 rooms spanning the length and breadth of Middle-earth, from the Iron Hills to the City of Umbar, and from the Great Western Sea to the Sea of Rhun. Room descriptions even change dynamically with the time of day, seasons, and weather.

Whether you're a Tolkien enthusiast, a roleplaying aficionado, or you've never tried online gaming before, Elendor is a game not to be missed. Give it a try!