Hobbits strike back!

It's back to Middle Earth for all you Tolkien fans, and director Peter Jackson goes all out. We witness the miraculous return of Gandalf the Wizard (played by Ian McKellen), we're introduced to the incredible and often disturbing Gollum and experience the epic battle fought at Helm's Deep.\nThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers two-disc set on DVD shows fans why this landmark movie has done more for the fantasy genre than any other. The audio and visual quality is top-notch and the special features definitely pull you into Middle Earth for a better look at the mystic world.\nTwo behind the scenes documentaries, "The Starz Encore Special" and WB's "Return to Middle-Earth," illustrate the technical aspects of shooting the movie and include the problems -- or rather horrors -- the cast experienced shooting a battle sequence involving hundreds of men during four months of freezing nighttime weather. The documentaries also give you a look at the life the actors lived in New Zealand during an 18-month shooting schedule and the measures they took to keep themselves sane. Orlando Bloom, who plays elf Legolas, for example, experienced some of what Wellington, the adventure capital of New Zealand, has to offer, such as bungee jumping and sky diving. \nAnother feature you'll certainly be interested in is a look at the conclusion to the Rings trilogy in a behind the scenes preview of Return of the King. Without giving too much away, the most interesting discussion is bound to leave you salivating in anticipation of the final movie's December release, involving in particular a new battle sequence that promises to blow Helm's Deep away.\nThis DVD is definitely worth viewing and its special features will tide you over until the Two Towers extended edition DVD is released in November.