Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Hogwarts is back in session for a second school year, but the students seem caught up in a sophomore slump.
The greatest thing about J.K. Rowling?s ubiquitous magic schoolboy series is its universality?the Harry Potter books (and movies) are meant by and large for children, but have enough wit and wisdom within them that they can be enjoyed by teens and adults as well. The same, however, cannot be said of this Harry Potter game?it?s a too-straightforward, by-the-numbers Zelda-style action number that?s strictly for the younger Potter fan interested in playing an interactive storybook.
The graphics, while faithfully capturing Potter faces and places in concept and color, are technically sloppy with some poor textures, frame rate issues, and a heavy case of the jitters?the Xbox and GameCube versions, by contrast, look muuuuch prettier. The controls are none-too-friendly, either, with collision detection issues and a schizophrenic, jumpy camera that seems too often to be toying with you.
The game, however, does offer a goodly amount of variety in its vaguely mini-Zelda-ish episodes, and the ability to charge your many different magicks and cast them without any spell points to worry about is kinda fun. The sound effects are the game?s most solid aspect with talented voice-actors (imitators, not the real thing) spewing scads of Britishisms. Just try not to flip out the hundredth time you hear ?Flipendo.?
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