restoring iTunes

Hi. Recently did an archive and install on Mac OS X 10.5 to get rid of a problem I had. Dragged all my music from the backed-up iTunes folder into the new iTunes folder and noticed that my play counts weren't there (should have seen that coming.)

What's the best way to restore my iTunes to its former glory, including play counts, ratings and album artwork?

Restore your iTunes Database file from your old archive of itunes folder...
The file is names "iTunes Library".

Did you just move your music, or did you copy your whole iTunes folder. You need the other things in the folder in order to preserve your ratings, etc. Look at this: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449?viewlocale=en_US. It explains what you need to move/copy in order for this to work correctly.