EA's The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king Has Shipped for the PC announces availability of the new expansion for the Tolkien-inspired RTS game (thanks Frans). Hate Hobbits? You're in luck:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts' (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) The Lord of the Rings(TM), The Battle for Middle-earth(TM) II, The Rise of the Witch-king(TM) shipped to retailers nationwide today, and shipped Internationally on November 24, 2006. As the expansion pack to the fan favorite, The Lord of the Rings(TM), The Battle for Middle-earth II(TM), this Real-time Strategy (RTS) game enhances every existing feature and offers players the chance to command the rise of evil in Middle-earth while experiencing the epic battles that took place before those depicted in the films from New Line Cinema.

Full of exciting content, including an entirely new faction, completely new single player campaign, and additional units for all six existing factions, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king, allows players to explore the evil side of Middle-earth. The all new single player campaign tells the story of the evil Witch-king's rise to power and invasion of the great kingdom of Arnor, home to Aragorn's ancestors. To fully experience the evil side of Middle-earth, gamers can now play as the Angmar faction in skirmish, multiplayer, and War of the Ring modes. Create-A-Hero's entirely new and unique Troll class grants players more creative freedom for their heroes in addition to new weapons and armor that will allow players to have even more choices in customizing their favorite heroes. War of the Ring, a risk-style meta-game, offers upgraded army persistence, a new siege dynamic on the Living World Map, and unified territories that serve as major control points.