This logo's about as fascinating as endless mini-games.

Just in case you weren't interested already, Turbine have launched one of these new-fangled mini-sites (what exactly classifies it as mini? Is there a size limit?!) to inform us all of the new Lord of the Rings Online expansion, entitled Mines of Moria. You can check it out over at www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com.

The site looks set to include at least three mini-games, although currently only one is available. By playing the mini-games and meeting challenges, players can unlock various goodies including videos and information on the expansion - and more interestingly, game items.

Here's Codemasters' explanation of the site, from a recent press release:

"The 'Unlock the Mines of Moria' campaign is part of an innovative launch strategy that offers players an interactive social gaming destination where they can individually and collectively delve into the first major expansion to The Lord of the Rings Online," said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "Whether you are new to the world of Middle-earth or a long time member of our community, we invite everyone to explore and share the wonders of Moria."

I must admit, my initial reaction is... what the? If you're already playing LOTR Online it's fairly unlikely that you'll miss something as significant as the release of Volume Two, so I don't really understand the need for a whole site dedicated to informing players of this; amongst players, the hype will already be there, and those with no experience of the game are unlikely to start jumping up and down with glee over a whole new set of things they also know nothing about.

Another question: why would you want to spend your time bashing away at mini-games to unlock rewards which will be all over the 'net within half an hour, scooped by opportunistic journalists, ready for your effortless collection? More to the point, surely offering "an interactive social gaming destination" is what MMORPGs are all about anyway - making a few browser based mini-games quite redundant. I'd be a lot more excited about this if they spent less time selling it to me and more time developing it, I really would...