Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

"Good book - Good game"

A lot of people will think upon hearing the name that you have to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy this game. Although far from what it should be, it is a good game which can be enjoyed by all ages regardless of wether or not you have read the books.

When you first start the game you'll notice that the graphics are far superior than the previous PC/Playstation game - Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. The graphics are far from perfect but they suit the game quite well. Spell effects look very well done, and if you have ever read the books the first time you set foot on Diagon Alley or Hogwarts there is a sudden wow factor that envelopes you. Hogwarts especially, it is HUGE. No progressive scan but a good efert none the less.

Presentation of the game is above average. The menus are easy to navigate. The loading screens even show pictures of the different areas you are in. The cutscenes are good and follow the course of the book very well.

The game mostly runs at 60 FPS however there is the occasional slowdown at times which can be quite annoying. Another annoyance would be the loading times which will happen very frequently during the game.

The gameplay is quite simple. You can assign a total of three spells from the 8 spells you can learn in total. I was really hoping they would put in more spells, most of them are actually grade one spells which you have to re-learn. Some strategy is used in the casting of spells against monsters but most battles can be won simply by casting a single spell multiple times until they die. Even if you ''Overcast'' a spell to get it more powerful it doesn't have much effect. Dueling which is quite fun only happens twice in the game, if they pushed the idea a bit further, perhaps making a duel mini-game it would pro-long the rather short gameplay time and add some more strategy to the game.

The broom, which is aquired in the first quater of the game allows you to fly around hogwarts. This is very fun but somehow the broom doesn't have a sense of speed. Even if you go as high as you can and go straight down you go the same speed as you always do. Quidditch is also very fun and slightly challenging. You are limited to following a series of smoking circles - It would have been much better if you could free roam the stadium actually searching for the snitch. It seems somewhat scripted how people just happen to fly into you, where's your team when you need them?

The sound however is truly superb. Most music was taken directly from the movie and really suits the game. The voices of the characters, although not done by the real actors are so well done you would sometimes think they were.
Sound effects sound like they should do which is a good thing.

On your first time through, you are likely to get around 10 hours out of the game if you just concentrate on the main things. Other things such as mini games, beans and side quests will lengthen the game somewhat at flying around Hogwarts is a good time waster. But I do wish the game would be longer.

In conclusion, while not perfect the game certainly is one that you could consider spending your cash on. Graphics are well done. Sound and Music is superb. If you have read the books, this is really one to consider as you can practically get lost walking around Hogwarts taking in the surroundings. Gameplay is simplistic, some strategies are involved. The story line follows the book closely, possibly even better than the movie. While it doesn't last as long as it should, if you have the money go ahead and buy it.

Graphics: 9
Presentation: 10
Gameplay: 8
Sound: 10
Lastability: 8
Final Rating: 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/02, Updated 11/17/02