The sixth movie based on J.K. Rowling’s epic Harry Potter series is ready for release, and preceding it is the tie-in videogame. Get out your Wiimotes and prepare to duel. It’s back to Hogwarts for the darkest Potter game yet. But, it is the game worth the money? Read on and find out. Developed by EA and Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a tie-in game based on the sixth film in the series. The film, of course, is based on the penultimate chapter in the multi-million copy best selling series. The film again retains the main cast, with Daniel Radcliffe returning as Harry, Rupert Grint retruning as Ron and Emma Watson returning as Hermione. The game loosely follows the plot of the movie, touching on key points. There are also a number of side missions. Now, as most people know, the Harry Potter games have been a “hit or miss” venture. I will admit, however, that they have gotten better. The games have come a long way in the time since Sorcerer’s Stone.

The story this time deals with Dumbledore preparing Harry for the final battle with Voldemort that is on the horizon. To aid him in his preparations, Dumbledore and Haryy visit memories of different periods of time in Voldemort’s life, back when he was Tom Riddle. The holder of one of these memories is Professor Horace Slughorn, former Potions Master at Hogwarts. After Dumbledore convinces Slughorn to return to Hogwarts, he tasks Harry with obtaining the crucial memory from him. The memory concerns a dark magic concept called a Horcrux and, in fact, holds the secret to Voldemort’s eventual defeat. The story ends with a stunning betrayal, a heart-wrenching loss and a permanent change to the status-quo. The game does a good job of visiting all of the major story events, while leaving out many of the minor ones. However, despite the minor omissions, it is a faithful retelling of the story.

The graphics are quite good for the Wii, with the Hogwarts grounds and castle faithfully reproduced down to the very last detail. You can go to any of the various rooms in the castle. However, there is no slow way. You have to walk or run to every location. Let me put this in persepctive: THE CASTLE IS HUGE!! It will take several minutes to make in from one place to the next, even if you run. But, the journey will look beautiful. The spells are well animated and the main characters all have their appropriate likenesses. The game goes through periods of night and day. At night, the castle and grounds look specifically dark and spooky, with the only light coming from intermittent torches and your wand’s “Lumos” spell.

The controls are where this version of the game really stands out. The Wiimote dueling mechanic, introduced in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has been tightened and now feels incredibly natural. There is a different motion associated with each of the game’s spells. For example to cast “Stupefy”, the simplest of the spells, you simply flick the Wiimote downwards. However, to cast a more complicated spell, like “Protego”, the motions are bit more complicated. “Protego”, for example, requires you to cross you arms in an “X” formation. New for this game is the Potion making mini-game. By using the Wiimote to select ingredients, stir and heat the cauldron, players will recreate some the series’ most famous liquids, including the infamous Polyjuiice Potion. The potin making is actually surprisingly fun. Movement throughout the game is mapped to the Nunchuk’s analog stick. Interaction with objects is accomplished by pressing the “A” Button. Pressing the “B” Button allows you to take control of the camera. In the previous games, you unlocked secrets and special items by collecting Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.  In this game, that has been changed to collecting small Hogwart’s crests. There are 150 to collect. You can also collect “Mini Crests”, which have been locked into glowing objects throughout the game.

The sound is good, with the music matching that of the film series. Most of the main cast has “stand-in” voice actors, with the exception of Rupert Grint, who provides Ron’s voice. Most of the secondary cast did their own voice work.

The game captures not just the graver, heavier moments of the game, but also some of the lighter ones. For example, there is a lever, where you play as an “impaired” Ron who moves very sluggishly. I loved the fact that this level made the game. Also, it was cool to see that one of the sequences you play as Harry is in first person.

Overall, this is a great representation of the film. The story is, more of less, intact and the characters look and, in most cases, sound the way they do in the film. it’s not perfect. The castle is HUGE and there is no easy way to get around it and the night scenes are EXTREMELY dark in some cases. Also, many of the required events take place after a long cut scene which you cannot skip if the fail the challenge and have to do it again. Also, the running and turning controls need to be tightened for the next game. It is very frustrating to run towards a doorway and not be able to get through it because I am going too fast. Other than that though, the game is really well done and a lot of fun to play.  Bottom Line, if you like the film and the books, you’ll love this game. And, even if you don’t, it’s still a solid adventure game.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince conjures up 4 lightning bolt scars out of 5.