some virtual worlds exist in my head as real as places in the physical world. the best of which is the land in Ultima IX.

here are more screenshots. Ultima IX is still the best single player virtual world I've ever played in. It was ahead of its time.

Way back when, Sierra, the then-mighty game company had an awesome idea. Make a Tolkien-themed massively multiplayer game. It was called Middle Earth Online. It never got off the ground. Then came the amazing success of the LOTR movies. Turbine, MMP game maker extraordinare, has purchased the rights to do the same thing. Its called Lord of the Rings online. Why the word "online" is still used in modern games escapes me.

I dont have the software to ultima IX anymore. Id like to have a new virtual world to explore. What appealed to me about UO IX was its very natual, in-the-country setting.

Here is a screenshot from LOTR online.