Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
This is the second distillation of the book - movie - now game. Each has selected what
will work for them - and for the game it is taking part in the experience of being in
Hogwarts, the flying Quiddicth game, making of potions, casting spells, wand dueling
and the ability to wander through the school. To fully enjoy the involvement in the game,
I suggest you memorize the wand spells so to have them at the ready to be used at
anytime, anywhere. I mean, is that not the ultimate fun of being a mage?
Nearly Headless Nick is a big improvement over those black footprints in finding your
way through the bottomless stairs and endless halls. Hogwarts is more immense than
ever and collecting Hogwarts Crests - 150 in all, is a technique to encourage wandering.
There are now more people crowding through the corridors, the great halls and dueling
grounds. Harry is never at a loss to know what to do next - there is always Hermionie, a
student or a teacher telling him where he is expected next. Of course you can take
detours to pick up extra Hogwarts Crests or just wander the half-lit corridors, the
swinging stairs and pass through the portrait doors or any place appearing on the map.
New areas become accessible as the game progresses.
New spells are learned as the game progresses. But the first three, Wingardium Leviosa,
that lifts and moves objects is necessary for knocking out crests from their frames and
Stupefy and Expelliarmus are the two most commonly used fighting spells. Of course,
Harry wouldn't stop there - Reparo, Sectumsempra, Protego, Incendi,
Levucorpus and Lumos are added to his bag of tricks - some of which you may
remember from the previous game.
The story progresses towards the eventual dénouement of the series and the tone is darker
and more frantic - lost are the easy days of the first book. Many of the references in the
game will be completely opaque to new readers of the series and the game makes little
attempt to explain them. But then, this is a game for Harry Potter fans who savor every
drop of the saga.
Reviewed by: Editor - 08/09
Ages: Everyone 10+
Fun Factor: A necessary addition for any Harry Potter fan
Female Factor: Good female characters taken from the book
Player Friendly: Automatic saves. A card with the spells would have been nice.