My love of 'The Lord Of The Rings' unsurprisingly started with me reading the book. Sure, it took me an age to do it, but I was so totally enthralled by the whole thing that I just kept reading and reading until I reached the end. I felt so terrible when I'd actually finished it, I realised I needed some sort of fix, and after I'd read every appendix, prologue and epilogue I could find, I came to the radio dramatisation. I'd heard bits of it before, and loved it, but I'd never actually listened to it all the way through. My father, a fellow Tolkien lover, had recorded the BBC's adaptation when it was first aired on Radio 4, and I decided it was time to listen all the way through. I was amazed. This version captured everything I'd ever known about the book, and more, and it's a testament to its quality that I've listened to it so many times since. It wasn't until just over a year ago when I discovered the existence of a CD version of the adaptation, and I knew one day I would have to have it. Sure, it wasn't exactly cheap, but it would certainly be worth it. Thanks to Ciao and Dooyoo, this day came sooner than I had expected, and after saving £80 of my earnings, I was able to purchase my very own copy. And so a little part of my history was made.

The book, written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was completed in 1949. It is the follow-up to the comparatively small book 'The Hobbit', and tells the tale of a small hole-dwelling folk and their adventures in the lands of Middle Earth. Those who have read 'The Hobbit' will know of the small golden ring discovered by Bilbo Baggins (a hobbit), and hidden away from the disgusting and loathsome creature called Gollum. This ring forms the key concept in 'The Lord Of The Rings', where the true nature of the ring is discovered, and Bilbo's heir, Frodo is sent to destroy it, for the sake of the whole of the land of Middle Earth. I can't say much more about the story without spoiling it for everyone who hasn't read it, but let's just say that they're a lot more to it than just that!

It must have seemed like an almost impossible task when Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell were faced with the challenge of dramatising a thousand page book like 'The Lord Of The Rings'. Not only that, but it is such a popular book, that any mistakes would cause uproar, and so they had to get it just right, or they'd be trouble! Brian was the one that initiated the project – he'd had another idea for a radio dramatisation, and the BBC turned him down for that, but was asked what other books he might like to dramatise. After reading LOTR and becoming a huge fan, this was one of the books he put on his list of possible projects. And so the story began.

Also included in the CD version of the adaptation is a CD of the music from the story (that's 14 CDs now!), a large scale map as drawn by Tolkien in the book, and a booklet explaining a little of how the adaptation came about. It contains all sorts of interesting fact, such as the way Christopher Tolkien (the son of the author) was sent the manuscripts for him to check over, and how he sent back a tape with all the Middle Earth pronunciations for the series! It makes quite a good read, and has sections written by both Brian Sibley and Jane Morgan (the director), so you get a real insight into how it all happened.

According to the booklet, some of the casting was a lot easier than others – take a look at some of the main characters and see if you recognise anyone!:

- Atmosphere's everything

The music is equally important, and composed by Stephen Oliver. The main theme is superb and very well suited to the tone of the story – I always get a tingle of excitement when I hear it, which shows its quality. Most of the incidental music is superb, but I find the music that plays a main part in the story – the actual songs – are, for the most part, a little annoying because of their operatic style. They work for what they are, and can't really be avoided, but I wasn't that keen on them in the book, so it doesn't help when they turn up here! The more poetic rhymes of Bilbo and Frodo, such as 'The Road Goes Ever On', are much more listenable, but the choir-boy 'Seek The Sword That Was Broken' is too ear-piercing for my liking! Well, if you DO like the music, it's pretty much all on the separate music CD, which is nice to listen to once in a while.

The collection itself is packaged in a small A5 size folder type arrangement, inside a black cardboard sleeve. Inside the folder (it's like an A5 pad turned on it's side), there are 16 cardboard wallets, each with a small picture and a caption on it in gold, and these contain the 14 CDs, as well as the fold-out map and booklet. It's all quit nicely presented, although I handle it with much care – I'd kill myself if it got damaged! Each CD itself is black with gold lettering, telling you the name of the episode and each track name too.

Any LOTR veterans will notice the absence of the character Tom Bombadil in this adaptation. For those who don't know, he comes and saves Frodo in the Barrow Downs between Hobbiton and the small town of Bree. It causes some uproar when people found out, but really, it is one of Tolkien's older characters that he just squeezed into Middle Earth for no real reason other than he wanted the character in the story – it doesn't really fit in that well, but people miss him anyway. Just so you know!

Overall, I would kidding myself if I gave this any less than 5 stars – while it has it's downfalls, these are duly outweighed by the immense advantages of the product. Sure, I spent £80 on it, which is a bit steep, but when you think about it, you get 14 well presented CDs for that price, and the simple fact that I bought it at this price should tell you just how good it is. Some of the songs can get annoying sometimes, but these are easily avoided, and the superb characterisations and detail brought to the story make it all the more worth the while. This is a superb version of Tolkien's classic book, and one that I will continue to listen to for years to come – well worth the price.