We love Lego. And we love Lord of the Rings. So when the Danish maker put the two together we didn't need to be sold on the idea - and with Legolas surely it was an inevitability?

It might be the peak of summer - if it could be called that in the UK this year - but in the lead up to Christmas Lego has already revealed its forthcoming Lord of the Rings sets, due August 2013. Pocket-lint went to check out the latest bricks, camera in one hand, white staff in the other, to see what was new.

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The four new sets - Pirate Ambush Ship (£89.99), Battle at the Black Gate (£59.99), The Council of Elrond (£29.99) and The Wizard Battle (£11.99) - are based on like-for-like scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies (or the books, we suppose, if you use your imagination). We shrugged off the 9-14 age recommendation and got stuck in.

As with any Lego Lord of the Rings set, the thing that makes them special is the inclusion of specific characters. It was Gandalf who in his "The Wizard Battle" guise most caught our attention, as several of the other yet-to-be-produced characters weren't available at this pre-launch stage.

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Whether it's reliving the battle with Saruman, marvelling at the precious ring, or opening the Black Gate's lockable door there's plenty to keep the kids entertained.

We say kids - we're well outside of the target audience but, being the geeks we are, find the quality of the finished product and fun of the build to still have its draw. It's fun for all LOTR fans.