"What has this got to do with the actual book?"

Introduction
This is supposed to be based on the actual book?! I really doubt it. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, I bought this because I thought it was gonna be as good as the book, and a bit like the movie. What did I get? It took me 2-3 hours to beat this game, beginning to end with out using any FAQs! KnowWonder should have thought more about the layout of the game, it might make some people very confused, since they skipped some of the main things from the book. I even think they invented new spells, rooms, doorways, and the Quidditch Pitch is TINY when you walk up to it, and then all of a sudden Malfoy chases Harry above this forest and it seems as though the Pitch is HUGE! Some mistakes are clearly noticed, like the greenhouses. They look small when you come up to them, but have tons of space when you walk in! Now, enough about the size of things, lets see what else we have here… The teachers don’t really seem how J K Rowling has described them. They just say a few words and you’re not supposed to complain or else you lose house points. Talking about points, in the book, Harry had to earn them by working hard and being a good boy. Here, you get House Points just because you learned a new spell or passed a (really easy) part of the game! No, really…

Gameplay – 5/10
This game is so easy in some places, that you can play these with closed eyes after a few tries! Sometimes, you stumble on lessons or jobs you have to pass and they seem impossible! This game can be very frustrating at times, when for instance you fall down a pit and have to start from the place you were at 30 minutes ago, because that was simply the last place you could save at! Grrr… it’s happened to me LOADS of times… The controls are weird. If Harry could actually jump, life would be much better while playing this game. His range of spells is pretty big, but it may take some time to remember which spell does what, and sometimes that time isn’t available! And the Quidditch controls are pretty bad too. Up is down and down is up… WTF???!!! All in all, the controls would be rated ‘Average’ from me. Fun lacks in this game. I believe the Quidditch matches were the only things I really enjoyed (even though I’m horrible at playing Quidditch). And most of the jobs you had to do to proceed to the next bit were a bit frustrating, seeing as some of the enemies were absolutely annoying. Wow I’ve written a lot! =P

Story – 5/10
What happened to the story?! The book and the game can be called a whole different thing if a person who didn’t know of both played this game! Harry eats Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans, and even if he hates the taste his health still goes up! Magic here is just used to protect yourself, and rarely do you use it to get obstacles out of the way, and even MORE rarely to fight enemies. At least something that’s been included: you’ve got to collect House Points for Griffindor! Oh, and try not to bewitch teachers, you may lose points you’ve earned! =P

Audio/Video – 8/10
This is probably the best thing in this game. The music isn’t that good, compared to the awesome graphics! Cheesy music makes the gamer bored, or maybe even annoyed. But miracles happen, and sometimes the music is very good and it fits to the game perfectly. Even though these things may happen, I still prefer to play with out sound… but when was the last time I played this game?? The graphics are pretty nice, very detailed and clear. The rooms have that stony touch to them, and you can even see Harry’s glasses!

Replay Value – 3/10
This game has hardly any replay value. You play the game once and you may be satisfied. You play it a second time and it loses its secrets. You play it a third time and you nearly fall off your chair of boredom. And on a rainy, boring day when you’ve got nothing to do, better go and watch TV than play Harry Potter. It just lacks the fun and entertainment! I guess that’s the best way of describing this chapter!

To buy or to rent? That is the question…
Rent. Don’t waste your money on buying this game and then complain, just rent it and see if you like it. Probably from my review it doesn’t seem like a game you could enjoy (at least, in my opinion it is), so maybe you wont even think about renting it. You could also read other reviews for this game, and maybe then you'll come to your final decision. It's just a matter of taste, I tell you! The HPatPS Message Board isn't a big help if you ask them, so don't try to. Mostly it’s your decision, but I just wanted to help you decide! =)

OVER ALL RATING - 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 10/28/02, Updated 10/28/02