Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Ages: Everyone (under 10 with help)

You've read the book, seen the movie - now you can use all that knowledge to play the game. As a second year student back at Hogwarts you will have to learn to cast lots of new magic spells. There's the old standby Diffindo but there are plenty others. Ones that will light up hidden paths, open locks, cut ropes, clean up ectoplasm and one that turns a surface into something like a trampoline. There are special spells for dueling - yes there will be dueling and Quidditch playing. To add to the fun, there are Bertie Botts to find and trade, Mage cards to earn and of course there is always exploring and finding secrets. There are more hints in this game and the save books come more often than in the first one and that makes it easier to play. For instance, in the beginning, after escaping from the Womping Willow, Ron runs ahead of Harry to lead the way into Hogwarts. Harry also has more company - both Ron and Hermione accompany him on the adventures.

Of course the game gets harder as you advance to higher levels. There are many weird and dangerous creatures - you all know about the spiders, but there is the constant battling with those annoying imps and gnomes. A tip - checking auto jump in the options makes life lots easier. Changing spells is hard on the PC. I used both the GamePad Pro and keyboard. It makes you want to play the game on a console where the controller is optimized for games like this.

Reviewed by: Editor - 01/03