Harry Potter + Lego = win?

So Travellers Tales have released another Lego game...which is nice! After the successes of Star Wars, Batman & Indiana Jones (I never actually played IJ, but I know a lot of people who loved it!) they have tried their hand at putting the hugely successful series of Harry Potter Lego models into a whole virtual world - inspired by the Warner Brothers films.

This is the first installment (it's based on the first 4 movies) so I'm sure there will be a second with the last 4 movies (& then another one with all the movies stuck together...a la Lego Star Wars). But leaving that aside, it's a new Lego universe & whole new set of tricks for your characters to master, but with similarly designed platforming & fun puzzles, collectibles & challenges
& it's a more fantasy-based experience - there's magic involved here!

Firstly this game is pretty vast - Hogwarts Castle & grounds are substantial enough for you to go get lost in easily, there's Diagon Alley & Gringotts Bank, it's all there for you to explore! You will quickly adapt to the myriad of spells you will need to learn (progressively) as you go through the school years.

There are a good number of levels for each year group, with a good variety of missions - all linked in closely with the movies (more than the books) & keep you interested enough to play through to the end & it'll take you a long time to play the whole game.

There's nothing really new or different from previous games, with the notable exception of a change to the coop mode, which now automatically cuts the screen which is a good change. But I'd still give this a good 4 out of  stars

.....we continue