Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
You've read the book, seen the movie - now you can use all that knowledge to play the
game. As a second year student back at Hogwarts you will have to learn to cast lots of
new magic spells. There's the old standby Diffindo but there are plenty others. Ones that
will light up hidden paths, open locks, cut ropes, clean up ectoplasm and one that turns a
surface into something like a trampoline. There are special spells for dueling - yes there
will be dueling and Quidditch playing. To add to the fun, there are Bertie Botts to find
and trade, Mage cards to earn and of course there is always exploring and finding
secrets.
There are more hints in this game and the save books come more often than in the first
one and that makes it easier to play. For instance, in the beginning, after escaping from
the Womping Willow, Ron runs ahead of Harry to lead the way into Hogwarts. Harry
also has more company - both Ron and Hermione accompany him on the adventures.
Of course the game gets harder as you advance to higher levels. There are many weird
and dangerous creatures - you all know about the spiders, but there is the constant
battling with those annoying imps and gnomes. A tip - checking auto jump in the options makes life lots easier. Changing spells is hard on the PC. I used
both the GamePad Pro and keyboard. It makes you want to play the game on a console
where the controller is optimized for games like this.
Reviewed by: Editor - 01/03
Ages: Everyone (under 10 with help)
