Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

"Could have been so much better..."

I am a big fan of Harry Potter, so I was really excited to play this game, but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I think the game could have been made a lot cooler and a lot more fun.

Difficulty: 4/10 While there are one or two levels that may take you a try or two to finally beat, most of the game takes absolutely no effort at all! It is so easy at times it almost gets boring. And I am not good at most video games, so if I think it is easy you most likely will too.

Replay value: 5/10 Unless you are replaying it because you did not get all of the cards the first time, you will be very bored the second time through.

Graphics: 9/10 I thought the graphics were very good. The characters looked really realistic and Hogwarts castle was beautiful, inside and out. The scenery was pretty nice too.

Music: 10/10 I liked the music that was in the game a lot. It fit the setting very well. I also didn't find that it got annoying after hearing for a while like some game's music.

Game play: 7/10 Some of the levels are fun, I really enjoyed throwing gnomes!! Sometimes sneaking past the prefects can be a bit challenging but the game needs more challenge. I was, however, extremely annoyed at how simple the last level was. Killing the basalisk was a piece of cake. Yet, all of the little side activities throughout the game were very fun. There is a lot of gnome throwing, broom racing, and finding lost items for people you have to go though to get all of the wizard cards. You also have to collect house points, and if you do not get enough house points, you will get a very bad grade. If the prefects catch you roaming around the castle or the grounds at night, you will get house points taken away so that makes that part even harder.

Overall: 7/10 This game is pretty good, but unless you are a hardcore Harry Potter fan, I would suggest renting it and not spending money on it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/06