The highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angma is currently scheduled to launch on April 24, 2007 across Europe.

The Lord of the Rings Online lets players experience the greatest epic fantasy adventure of all time and join with millions of fans from around the globe in the vast world of Middle-earth.

Codemasters Online Gaming has also announced the details of their revolutionary pre-order Founder’s Program for The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe. This exciting Founder’s Program rewards all players who pre-order The Lord of the Rings Online with a special £99.99 (€149.99) Lifetime Membership offer, early access to the game, character roll-over and a unique in-game bonus item. Players can become a Founder by pre-ordering the title at www.lotro-europe.com/preorder or at retail stores throughout Europe beginning in late March 2007. This limited time offer is exclusively available to pre-order customers in Europe.

“It’s exciting to announce the release date for what is going to be one of the top PC releases of the year,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming “The Founder’s Program offers gamers some amazing benefits when choosing how to start their adventure in this landmark title. April is going to be the month when everyone moves to Middle-earth!”

The Lord of the Rings Online Founder’s Program* offers players two different membership options:

• Just £99.99 (€149.99) for a Lifetime Membership

OR

• Only £5.99 (€8.99) per month subscription price when purchased as part of a 6-month package.

In addition to these special pricing options, The Lord of the Rings Online Founders receive:

10-days Head Start: Guaranteed early access provides Founders the opportunity to create a character and enter Middle-earth before the commercial release of the game.

Character Roll-Over: Moves the character that you created during the head start into the live service along with the stats, levels, items, and experience that character earned prior to launch!

Bonus Items: A special in-game item that is only available to those who pre-order.

Stickers: Six The Lord of the Rings Online stickers along with a special window sticker.

This exciting Founder’s Program is available for a limited time until the commercial launch of The Lord of the Rings Online (currently scheduled for April 24, 2007).

At launch, fans will be able to explore the untold stories of Middle-earth, interact with legendary heroes like Gandalf, and play a vital role in the War of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings Online is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The game recreates the vast world of Middle-earth with incredible dedication to the Tolkien lore with an unprecedented level of detail. The game delivers an experience that takes players beyond the books to where they can create their own story within the most famous fantasy world of all time.