The third installment to the Harry Potter games comes with a new twist this time: You can now play with all three characters. This new addition to the gameplay allows you to teach each kid a different spell and be able to get to new areas by working together. This sounds like it could create a lot of replay value doesn't it? Getting to go around an entire castle-like school searching for treasures.. Well unfortunately, this potentially awesome idea ends up being underestimated as you can only venture through pretty much one classroom per floor, and the bottom floor is just one hallway with doors that are ALL locked. What I loved about the first two harry potter games was that there were all kinds of places scattered through the school to adventure through and various treasures that actually did help you a bit. Not only is the school limited, but what you actually will find won't exactly help you very much. Sure, the "Folio Magi" book pages are fun to look at, and the cards can be interesting, but they don't really help you much at all. This game could have been a great game if they had the castle more opened up and actually let you adventure through the entire thing.
Besides that the graphics are pretty decent, and most of the levels are imaginative and sometimes can be pretty challenging as well. There seems to be a pretty nice balance of gathering and action, but not enough of the story. The plot doesn't really ever play a big part, and you're basically just taking part in school activities, classes, etc. It's not as plot-based as a Harry Potter fan would have hoped for.
However, if you're a fan of Harry Potter, and your standards are low, this game can be enjoyable, but there are so many things they could have possibly done with this game that would have made it awesome, but they didn't even attempt to accomplish them.
Other Helpful Reviews for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I have played many Harry Potter games. But this one is really surprising. Just because normally a Harry Potter game has never been so good! The game play is downright addictive. You play in many environments such as out... Read Full Review
This is a solid Potter game. All the basics are here. Cool puzzles, spells, epic bosses, and a free-roaming zelda style. There are extras this time around though. Ron and Hermoine are playable in this game. That makes th... Read Full Review
