Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Screenshots   The Final Say! Gameplay 8.8 Graphics 8.9 Sound 8.9 Value 8.9 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  - reviewed by Tory Favro Review Date: 08 December 2002 Review Score: 8.9/10  Distributed By: Electronic Arts

Quite often movie and book to game translations are messed up by good intentions and sloppy design. Even worse is when companies rely on the strength of the name to sell to the masses a bucket of absolute shovel ware. Before you stop reading, I am pleased to let you know that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on XBox is neither of those. This game is a top notch videogame that will let players visit and travel Hogwarts to their heart's delight.   Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Features Players 1 Genre: Action Rating: PG Third Person Perspective Easy to pick up and play 5.1 Dolby Digital Explore the Harry Potter Universe in 3D   This game runs like a dreaming, running for almost the entire game at a steady framerate without a hint of slowdown. This is exceptional considering the amount of detail that this wonderful game packs in for players to marvel at.   I almost feel silly saying this, but if you don't know who Harry Potter is, here is the story in a nutshell: Harry is a young wizard who lives in our world. There is a world of magic hidden within. Harry unknowingly as a baby defeated the evil that was overpowering the magical world, though his parent passed away during the same event. He's been sent to our world being raised by his absolutely horrid uncle and aunt. The world of magic has not forgotten him though and when the time is right, he is recalled to learn the magical arts at famed school, Hogwarts. And there the adventures begin.   The game begins in earnest at Harry's friend Ron Weasley's house and this is more or less our training level where you will learn to cast your spells and how to accurately aim them and move Harry about the level. The level of detail that is in the game is amazing and fully immerses players into the gameworld.   The controls are fairly easy to pick up and I would suggest a learning curve of roughly 10 minutes whilst learning how to throw goblins at Ron's. Yes, you get to throw those pesky garden critters clear out of the backyard at a target, whilst stunning them with the Flippendo spell!   Another highlight to the game is the wonderful game of Quidditch which you will be able to take part in. The game engine is fully enabled for players to take flight high above Hogwarts on broomsticks which is breathtaking indeed. Practically anything you can do in the books or movie is permissible with the game as well.

The A button is primarily used for actions which will be displayed as an option on the screen for you. Having the single button work for so many functions is a neat way to get the player into the game quicker.

A feature that will add to the life of the title is the fact that by completing quests and generally exploring, you can collect the enchanted cards that the kids in the books collect. They're fun to read and  a very nice touch, as are the fact that you can also get the same confectionary that is featured in the books.

I think that for most players the greatest thrill will be moving around in the same world that Harry inhabits in the books. I found it staggering the level of detail everywhere that the game took players to be amazing. The title proves to be a constant source of delight to me even after playing it several times, yes the game is that good.

Audio and voice acting is superb with full Dolby 5.1 being used to support the game. It's a blast to have surround sound set up when playing Quidditch. I would have to say that if you even slightly like Harry Potter and have an XBox, then you must have this game!

- Tory Favro