Techtite's Macintosh Game Reviews!

"...mature gamers may think I was too liberal when giving this game a flawless "Deep Impact" rating like I did. However, as a children- oriented game this is pretty enjoyable, and for fans it is even more so."

---from the review

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Sidebar :

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The "2" sequel curse... Forget the fact that this is based on a book sequel for a moment, and consider how poorly most initial game sequels are! The fact this game avoids the "2" curse of game sequels impresses me even more. Off the top of my head, here are some initial sequels that were total downers: Doom 2, X-Com 2: Terror from the Deep, Alone in the Dark 2 (eesh!), Darkseed 2 (no; I tried to forget that!), and the sequel so bad it left fans stuck outside a spaceship for all time: Manhunter: San Francisco. Ah, the memories...!

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When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in theaters, many people were surprised that its game tie-in was so good. This was due in no small part to it being not a duplicate of the movie --which would be a copy of a copy, as it were-- though yet another interpretation of the original novel. It also was a lot of fun. Now that the second film is out on DVD and so forth, many might sneer that this quickly-released game sequel is just a mission disk in "new game" packaging. However, there's a lot of enhancements to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which are worth a look. In many ways, it is like a totally new game.

The story is as it was in the books (and movies), though with little of the plodding. After all, this is a game, so the story quickly jumps to the action-savvy moments of the story, with less of the dialogue. After a quick prologue, for example, the game jumps to the scene with the whomping willow tree, outside Hogwart's; pretty far into the actual story, even from the film's perspective. However, as I said; this is more of an action-savvy chance to play as Harry, in the more game-savvy elements of the story. After all, if you want story you did of course read the book, right? Right...?

The rest of the game is outlined like this: you go to a class and learn a spell, then enter a "training arena" to hone that spell. After that, a separate mission (based on the actual story) is opened, that tests your skills even more. Sure, there may not be every facet of the book covered here, no more than the film. However, it's pretty cool to go through a 3D accelerated, graphic-adventure-game representation of Hogwarts, its most famous locales, and the story as a whole. You even get to play a game of Quiddich. In fact, if you like that game, feel free to walk to the arena, at any time; the Quiddich part of the game can be played and re-played at will.

Those familiar with the first game --and its minor flaws-- will particularly love the enhancements here. First of all, Hogwart's (for the most part) is free to tour at will; a welcome change from the first game, which forced you to walk a very linear line as the story progressed. In this game, you're can either follow a classmate to a class right away, or take the time to stroll the halls, talk to friends, open a few secret doors, and then go to class. Sure, some doors only open in time (when you learn the appropriate spell), while other doors only stay open for that part of the game (much like the story, the Slytherin dorm is only able to be visited when you have a disguise). However, the majority of the house can be walked through over and over again, at will. Best of all; upon defeating the final bad guy, your save game turns into an "open house" of sorts, so you can find all of Hogwart's over 30 secret areas (with more in the spell training areas) even long after you've seen the "grand finale." Cool!

It's quite surprising how much of the story could be translated into an engaging action-adventure game; every major facet of the storyline is here, from giant spider Arogog to the ingredients Hermione needs to create her Slytherin disguise spell. The game is also relatively "child friendly" so kids whould take to it with relative ease...with a little help from mom or dad. Pointing to the appropriate locations cause the appropriate spell to be cast automatically, so young kids need not get frustrated when confusing "Flipendo" with "Alohomora." The game even takes some enjoyable liberties with the overall storyline. Unlike the film, this game does not have Harry merely run away from Arogog the giant spider; in this game, you get to kick his butt, right down a bottomless pit, forever. Yay! I forget how the original storyline went in this regard, though "spider falls down bottomless pit" works for me.

There are also many optional quests to enhance this games "replay factor" a few notches. For one, there are the Quidditch Matches you can play at any time. Then there are Wizard Duels, which again are optional, and can be done at any time. Best of all, though, you can search for all of the many Every Flavor Beans, which can be traded with other students for wizard cards. Find 10 Bronze Wizard Cards and get a larger health meter; find 10 Silver Wizard Cards and unlock one of four locks blocking the entrance to the Gold Wizard Card Challenge, which is a whole optional level, only to be played by the true diehards who found as many secrets as possible. This is an awful lot of optional side-quests for a game that was already pretty cool as it was.

Of course, mature gamers may think I was too liberal when giving this game a flawless "Deep Impact" rating like I did. However, as a children-oriented game this is pretty enjoyable, and for fans it is even more so. I think what I like most about this game is, it took all of my minor pet peeves from the first game and removed them. This children's game may not have the difficulty level and challenge of, say, No One Lives Forever 2, though for fans, there is nothing I can think of that this game lacks. From Alohomora to Quidditch, this game has it all. Fans should be very pleased.

---Techtite