Turbine, Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar was awarded the highly coveted Golden Joystick award for 2007 PC Game of the Year. The highly acclaimed massively-multiplayer online roleplaying game beat out a stellar list of nominees, including World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl.

“We are incredibly honored to receive such a prestigious award and thank everyone for this honor,” said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc.  “The Lord of the Rings Online has been a true labor of love for everyone here at Turbine and we’re thrilled to see that communities of players from around the world are just as excited about the game as we are.  We have big plans for the franchise and look forward to bringing the 2007 PC Game of the Year to a wider audience in Asia in 2008.”

The Golden Joystick Awards are bestowed annually by Future Publishing Ltd. and its publications, which nominate games in a variety of categories and give their readers the opportunity to pick the winners. Nominations recognize video games in a variety of categories including soundtrack quality, innovation, family friendliness, and accomplishment in development, just to name a few. In addition to PC Game of the Year, The Lord of the Rings Online was nominated in the Soundtrack of the Year, Nuts All-Nighter Award, Online Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year categories as well.

The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before.  The Lord of the Rings Online is available for purchase at major retailers across North America and Europe. For more information, or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com or www.lotro-europe.com.