Though Sierra's The Hobbit came and went without much of a splash, the promotional carrying bag made for it was top-notch stuff. It ties in perfectly with the game it's promoting, being exactly the kind of bag you can use for all sorts of useful carrying and toting, and it's made well enough to last on a good long journey. It's roomy, it looks good, and it has tons of little pouches on just about every square inch of its surface. Strong enough for a man, made for a Hobbit, but sadly not containing a One Ring.

Designed to be slung under an arm, the pack has straps at 90-degrees to one other. Not having used this design before, I found it kind of neat the way it works, but then again I'm not a travel pack expert so maybe it's a common design and I need to get out more. It's a very good size for just about anything - the front part with the Hobbit logo is 12.75" wide by 15" tall - and it's got a dignified enough look that you won't feel like a total geek when lugging it around, even with the gold Hobbit logo staring the world in the face.

Now let's play Count the Pouches, the fun game where we get to find out exactly how many compartments and subcompartments are on this thing in total.

1) The front one above the Hobbit logo
2) The one on the side strap above #1
3) The one I don't have a picture of on the left side edge - a mesh pouch.
4 and 5) Lifting up the front flap (with the logo on it) we see a pouch with a sub-pouch on it on the left
6, 7, 8) Pens, pencils, twisty straws?
9, 10, 11) The right-side compartment with the diagonal lines on it, the diagonal lines being openings good for business cards or something; loose Game Boy games, possibly
12) The huge main compartment - don't let the slim looks fool you, it pops open five inches wide at the edges
13) Bottle holder on the right side edge
14) The last one on the right shoulder strap, perfect for a Leatherman-style knife

· · · James Cunningham