"Not perfect but a well done and entertaining Harry Potter game."

Harry Potter is a book series that I've enjoyed over the years and I've loved all of the movies. I played the first two games and thought they were a smidge too kiddy. Very simple and didn't provide a whole lot of anything but they were decent enough. The forth book/movie is where the series gets much darker and thankfully EA took that into mind when they made this game. The whole game is much darker, action packed and it does have a few challenging moments.

The story line is fairly simple. It's another year at Hogwarts but this year things are different. It's time for the Tri-Wizard cup and two other wizard schools are staying at Hogwarts for this tournament. Only 3 people are chosen and some how Harry's name is a fourth. Now Harry must compete in this tournament and who knows what dangers lay ahead. The plot is very simple but fans of the series will enjoy it because a fair amount of the book/movie is in this game. The three tasks are here at least... Some new things are thrown in but when you see the movie you have to realize that a lot of stuff just wouldn't work in a game. The added stuff does make sense though.

The graphics in the game are rather good. Areas are fairly large and look good. The characters look good and look a lot like the actors in the movies. The thing to keep in mind is that the game runs in a slightly lower resolution than the console versions but things still look good. It's almost a cross between PS1 and PS2 graphics but they look good and you can make out what everything is. The cut scenes are rather tame since they are still pictures but they look very good.

The sound in the game is a mixed bag. The voice acting is great. It's either the actors from the movie or a sound alike who sound exactly like them. Sometimes I can't tell. The sound effects are nothing amazing. Things crackle and explode. There are thumping sounds and whipping sounds. The music is something I really enjoyed in this title. It's not the movies excellent soundtrack but each song fits the level and mood perfectly and also feels right at home in the Potter world. I wouldn't buy the soundtrack but it sounds good with the game.

I found the control to be a pain of sorts. First you have no camera control and that wasn't a problem until the boss fight in the maze which was a bit tough because sometimes the camera was fixed on something. Moving around was simple but again, in the maze I couldn't seem to use the D-pad which I prefer because the analog is very sensitive but that's me. I had no problems during that stage using the analog though so I don't know... The biggest problem I had was casting spells. It's simple because X, square and triangle are a different type of spell and the spell you cast depends on the situation at hand. It makes it very simplistic but when you're trying to max out a spell it becomes a problem because the game never tells you in it or in the manual how to create a situation where the spell is needed. Also, you get random spells sometimes. Back to that maze level again, the boss fight had me casting the water spell a few times which is odd because there wasn't any fire but oh well...

The game play is tame but much better than the other games. Instead of having free roam of the school (I do miss that) you pick levels. The levels are large and have multiple paths. Once you beat a level you can return it and start at the central hub. There aren't a lot of levels and most levels contain 5 tri wizard shields. You need to collect X amount and finish the latest level to unlock the next. Level selection feels a bit weak. The game also stuffs in a challenge area but the challenges are kind of boring and the first is a bit unfair because I have no idea how to cast that one spell but sometimes it is cast and it's a great way to max that one spell.

Some levels are missing from the console version. It's a shame but we do get some mini games that are multi player. It's a nice touch. Speaking of multiplayer the mini games can be used with just 1 game disc or two. Also, you can play the 3 main levels with friends if they each have the game. In those three main levels Harry, Ron and Hermy all run around and fight. It's kind of cool and at the start of a level you can pick which character you want to play as, same for multi and single. They all play the same though...

In the game there are a couple different things the game has you collecting. Tri-Wizard Shields which there are 30 of. Also, there are different things to hit with a Jinx in the levels. Hit them all to unlock new cards. There are normal viewing cards for areas and enemies. However, when you collect beans, they come from defeated enemies or by hitting different objects, you can buy character cards. These cards feature scenes from the movie, still scenes I should say. Each card requires a different amount of beans but each card is a skill. When you select your character at the start of a level you can pick three cards. Some are just stamina (health) boosters or some makes certain spells more powerful or you can use the triple Jinx which I like because it clears areas much faster. Also in each level is an invisible card and while I could find one I couldn't figure out how to get to it before it vanished again...

Also, the game keeps tracking of the mastering of a spell. The more you master the higher your rank goes. The higher your rank the more cards that get unlocked. Seems very easy at first but the last few levels didn't net me any new cards. Besides the normal levels and stuff the challenge levels are a bit different. One has you on your broom racing from a dragon. A very neat chase I might add. The next is the underwater one which really felt like a 3rd person shooter on rails. The final is the maze which plays like a maze and it almost like a normal level but its Potter only but it features a chase during the second part of it.

The game is fairly long. Took me close to ten hours to beat it and I didn't have everything. I found the game to be a great way to spend a lazy Sunday and I actually want to go back and finish getting 100%. That doesn't happen often. The game was just fun to play. The level designs were interesting and the different paths kept me entertained. I never actually got bored either while playing and most games give me that one dull part but this game was just that entertaining. It's the not the best action adventure game around but for a portable it sure is nice. The lack of the free roaming is a shame but since it wasn't in the console version either I'm not too bitter. So, if you want a tiny bit more of game go with the console version but the PSP version does have the mini games and is portable. Oh and the load times are rather quick!

Story - 7/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 7/10

Final Score - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/01/05