System: X360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, DS, PSP, GBA
Dev: EA UK
Pub: EA
Release: June 26, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
Review by Maria Montoro

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

You will control Harry with the analog stick, and his dear best friends Ron and Hermione will always come along and help when it's needed. Thankfully, they don't interfere with the gameplay, which is nice. You can talk with pretty much anybody you encounter, and you will go from one mission to the next by following the footprints that appear in the floor, once you've checked the useful Marauder's Map. If there wasn't a map to follow you would get lost in no time, but it's great to just be able to pull out the map with the push of a button and see where you are and where you're going, since Hogwarts is just huge and full of staircases, hallways, patios, and passages. The footprints are a very neat system to know where you're going without wasting your time, but they're a bit frustrating sometimes, as you run faster than they appear. I've had to backtrack numerous times in order to follow the steps.

Harry can interact with most objects throughout the game, although you don't always know which ones. Paintings are also alive in their own surreal world and will grant you access to shortcuts and hidden areas. It seems like if it wasn't for magic Harry would be a helpless individual. There's nothing he can really do without his spells, but that's OK, I guess, since this is all about magic. If you want to help his friend pack, use the Wingardium Leviosa spell to move his clothes around and drop them in the suitcase, and if you want to reach a flying book that is up on the shelf you'll have to make a whole deal lifting up a table and placing it in the proper place so you can reach the book; no jumping allowed! Sometimes it was a bit too much, but I managed to entertain myself using the diverse spells and following the story accordingly. The other non-combat spells available will let you bring things towards you (Accio!), push them away (Depulso!), fix them if they're broken (Reparo!), smash them (Reducto!), and set them on fire (Incendio!). Just hearing the spell being cast is fun enough, and if the Sixaxis motion-sensing controls worked, it would be "the bomb!" However, the way the spells really work is when you use the appropriate controls set in the secondary analog stick. Slowly turning the stick in one direction or another will have different results, double tapping forwards, backwards, or up and down will cast different spells as well.

Throughout the game you will have the chance or misfortune to duel some adversaries. Instead of using fist and knees, you'll do it the magical way. The combat spells available will allow you to stun opponents (Stupefy!), tickle them (Rictusempra!), steal their wand (Expelliarmus!), deflect their spells (Protego!), levitate the opponents (Levicorpus!), and paralyze them (Petrificus Totalus!). Once you get some practice you won't have a problem to use your magical abilities, but it does take some time to get used to, as you're only using one control stick to do all of those different moves.

With all of the unlockables provided, which include commentaries by the movie actors and actresses, the game developers, artists, and so on, you'll have a lot of reasons to keep yourself entertained with this title for quite a while. EA truly made an extra effort here and created a good movie-based video game that players of almost all ages can enjoy, as long as they enjoy the whole Harry Potter premise. Don't hesitate to try it if you love Harry Potter; you'll be pleasantly surprised. Even though the Wii version has less accurate graphics, you might want to consider that option as well, as the Wii-mote will turn into your own personal magic wand, which probably adds an extra level to this already pretty good game.

By Maria Montoro
CCC Co-Site Director

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