Xbox live is easy to set up, if u have troubles like me just call the xbox support line(i forget number). The only problem i had was registering my xbox's mac address with telus. Once u get it set up, u can play basically what ever you want with whoever u want once u have friends list with people you like playing with. U get to pick the matchs u want to play. Most live games are set up the same for there lobbies and such except for halo 2 is a bit differnt. Live is made so anybody could use it without thinking. With your 3 month free subscription, i would imagine it would work the same as when i got my 1 year. Once the 3 months are up, u pay for a yearly subscription whice is like 6-7 bucks a month. xbox.com has good support and forums where u can get the help u need and same with
www.gamespot.com
As for Lord of the Rings: The Third Age i didnt really like. Its one of those rpg games where u take turns hitting eachother and choosing what moves u want to do. If your a fan of those kind of games like final fantasy then u should enjoy it.