Faisal Ghaffar 
Anyone who is a fan of Lord of the Rings would definitely be interested in this game. After all, playing as Gollum sounds great because he is one of the most famous and interesting characters in the fantasy universe created by J. R. R. Tolkien. Smeagol and Gollum were two sides of the same coin, but The One Ring tragically corrupted the former and turned him into this pathetic being.
The story
You are thrust into the feet of the titular character and the goal is to get the Ring from Bilbo Baggins. But, you will spend most of the time in seeing how Gollum was a prisoner between The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit. Unfortunately, the Prison Simulator: Mordor Edition is not very interesting and rather than going on a grand adventure, you will be hiding behind bushes from guard patrols and collecting bits and baubles for NPCs.
The levels
Every level generally has three phases and they have nothing interesting or fun to offer. In the Chores phase, Gollum has to go from one point to another for accomplishing a menial task. While the scenario may be conceptually different, such as detonating explosives while crawling through an opening, but you are essentially marching over the same area repeatedly.
Eventually, it starts feeling like busywork. Running around with Gollum can be somewhat fun because of his speed, but his stamina starts depleting very quickly and takes time to replenish. When you are trying to reach somewhere, it involves a lot of waiting, the speed is slow and Gollum starts choking on his own breath.
The design
Even though the platforming phases do come off as compelling, their design is quite poor. The pace picks up when you have to climb walls, run and leap in spacious rooms. However, the controls are imprecise and Gollum moves in a floaty and loose way. The game comes off as outdated instead of being a throwback and this can be highly disappointing.
The stealth segments that are incorporated in Lord of the Rings: Gollum are also not worth writing about. You will have to slog from one point to the other and the enemies are also downright terrible. They are nearsighted, have limited patrol patterns and also seem to suffer from amnesia because they forget about Gollum once they lose sight of him. These issues existed 15 years ago in games, so it is a shock to see them again in 2023.
The tools and combat
The only tools that Gollum has at his disposal are his ability to throw rocks, move quietly and disappear in shadows and tall grass. As the enemy AI has been designed terribly, you can become immune to capture if you stand on a knee-high rock or a table. There is no such combat involved because Gollum does not know how to fight an opponent that might be bigger than a hobbit. The pace picks up when chase sequences are involved, but they are mostly a mixed bag.
The Verdict
Only the most dedicated and loyal Lord of the Rings fan would want to give this game a try because it does not have much to offer in terms of adventure.
