I like LEGO. I like Harry Potter. I like games. Put it all together and you get LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5 – 7. Which I like. This is the sequel to LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 and is a great romp through the imaginary world of J.K. Rowling including Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Platform 9 and ¾ and other venues fans of the series have come to know and love. There are even scenes set in the dark recesses of Snape’s mind during Harry’s lesson in Occlumency.

I was very adventurous and played some of the game with my sons (aged 3.9 and 5.3) and some of the game by myself. I got a lot more done when I played by myself but I had a great deal of fun (and frustration) playing together with my sons. I would say that the game is a little bit too old for a five year old but I would suggest that the game will be perfect for them when they are about eight. That being said, I may have found it frustrating but they had a great deal of fun.

There are segments in the game that they greatly enjoyed, including drinking potions, navigating between the levels, shooting everything in sight, picking up the studs and, most of all, riding the various ‘vehicles’ that are available in certain scenes, which include a pumpkin, a digger, a train and a milk van. Playing the game alone allowed me to explore and solve puzzles quicker and easier and it was also a load of fun. I found myself chuckling to myself quite a bit and looked forward to the next scenes, so I would recommend this game to those gamers with kids and also for those gamers who are looking for a fun, not too difficult game, to play alone or with friends.

As per the tried and tested formula of the LEGO gaming franchise, the storyline follows the books (and movies) quite closely and fans of the series will recognise plot-lines and story events as they unfold in the game. This is done well enough, however, that players who have not read the books or seen the movies can play the game without any problems. The main selling concept of this game is fun for all ages, and that’s what you get.

The gameplay is uncomplicated and entertaining, the humour is well thought out and well placed into the context of the game and the puzzles are also intelligently crafted and not too difficult to solve. You get to play with all your favourite characters, be they good or bad and once you’ve completed a level (or chapter) of the game, it’s available in free-play so that you can revisit scenes as often as you like. This is great for those who want to play the game without having to collect all the different collections.

I’m one of those people who isn’t really a fan of collecting ‘100 of these pink thingies’ or ‘50 of those thingies’ or building puzzles that aren’t really related to the plot and, fortunately, the game does not rely on the player collecting them. This means that you can play the game as quickly and intensely as you like and then revisit the areas and sub-plots at a later time.

In one player mode, the game allows the your to switch between a multitude of characters. There are normally three characters playing at any given time (predominantly Harry, Ron and Hermione) but there are often times when you play just two characters. This includes scenes with Harry and Dumbledore, Fred and George Weasley, Harry and Snape, Harry and Hermione and other combinations. Because the game is often played with three characters, when playing in two player mode there is also the opportunity to switch characters. This is great when your three year old chimes in “Hey, I’m not a girl!”

Many of the puzzles to be solved require actions from a specific character so switching between the characters is an important part of the game and one that must not be forgotten when playing. I had a very frustrating period where I couldn’t solve a specific problem because Harry didn’t have the required spell. Switching to the other character activated the required spell and I was then able to continue.

There are a couple of add-ons that I also highly enjoyed in the game. This includes the ‘Red Bricks’ that you uncover throughout the game. These bricks enable specific extras in the game such as player disguises, an advanced screen guide (which I found very helpful) and the ability to change your wand into a carrot, amongst others. Uncovering the red bricks is not required to play the game but so they can be ignored and then picked up later in the free play.

As mentioned before, there are also vehicles to drive in some of the scenes and it is quite a lot of fun bouncing around on a pumpkin or driving a train or a car over people… er … I mean around people. There is also quite a bit of interaction with pets. Some of the characters have pets that they can summon to perform certain tasks which is also an important part of the game and there are times when the pet has to either dig something up or climb a pipe to pull a lever or collect an item. Of course, Lupin, can transform into a wolf which is also a great deal of fun.

There are two elements in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5 – 7 that I think detract a bit from the game. The first issue is the one dimensional view and the camera which is, effectively, a waste of time. I know this is a ‘feature’ of the game but it is a bit annoying when sometimes the characters have to sometimes find things behind walls where the player can’t actually see them. I really miss the now commonplace means of ‘looking around.’ This is especially obvious when you are playing two players and the screen splits. The split-screen is done very well though but the limitations of only having a third person, front on view does make playing a little bit frustrating at times.

The second issue is when something gets stuck in the world. This happened when I managed to get Harry trapped behind a table and couldn’t get him out. Fortunately, I was able to switch to another character and the AI managed to extricate Harry from his predicament. This also happened with a pair of garden shears and an ingredient of a potion, though. In both of these instances I had to ‘Return to the Hub’ and start the level again. This was very frustrating but not enough to keep me from playing the game. Fortunately, the levels are short enough that replaying them does not entail anything too difficult.

I highly recommend this game for all ages of gamers from about eight years old and up. It is fun, entertaining, exciting, highly playable, it doesn’t repeat itself and us mere muggles can immerse ourselves in the fun and exciting world of Harry Potter and all his friends. The correct mindset is important when playing this game. Don’t expect jaw dropping graphics or ‘combo moves:’ if you buy it, just have a whole lot of fun and play it over and over.

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