Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince isn't a game in the proper sense of the word. It is simply a sequence of mini-games, of which there are three varieties: duelling, Quidditch, and potion making. Although you get to roam the Hogwarts castle and its grounds, its sole purpose is to serve as padding: you will spend a lot less time on actual gameplay than on getting from one mini-game to another. Even so, the "game" is laughably short - I finished it in under six hours. The graphics are horrible for a game released in 2009, and the world of Harry Potter looks completely bleak, so there is no immersion whatsoever ( I liked Hermione's model, though). Some of the music is pretty good, but at times it is very annoying. As for the mini-games themselves, they can be fun, although more often than not in a retarded sort of way (this is the first game where I had to throw turds in a cauldron in order to win). Quidditch sucks, but potion making requires patience, and duelling good reflexes. Seeing your opponents hurled back by your spells is pretty satisfying, and the idea of using different movements of the mouse to cast different spells is actually great, but one great idea doesn't make a great game. What would have made Chamber of Secrets awesome and even Goblet of Fire good, makes this game merely playable. I don't regret the 5+ hours I spent on it, but I won't be playing it any more, either.
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