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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Review by Angie Kibiloski
Welcome to Hogwart's, all you LEGO lovers! The long awaited LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Retail $29.99 for PC), from Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, is finally here! Build and destroy cool LEGO creations with magic spells, while you play as Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The wizarding world is even more fun when it’s made of LEGO. Work your way through the first 4 years of the Harry Potter movies, with levels made from key plot points and familiar environments from all around Hogwart’s, Diogon Alley, and the Muggle world.
The destructible environments, that we all loved to smash and break in the previous LEGO titles, are back with a twist. Instead of bashing, kicking, or shooting things to break them apart, you use magic spells from the movies, like Wingardium Leviosa. At the beginning, you only start out with one spell, and must learn more as you play, by attending classes at Hogwart’s. You must use different spells for different types of breakable or movable objects, so some things cannot be done until you learn new spells. Some of those spells are useful and will aid you in your adventure. Other spells, which you can buy in Diagon Alley, are purely for fun, like the spell to change someone’s hair into a potted plant. Pure, enjoyable, silliness! Aside from spell casting, other classes that you must attend are potion making, herbology, and flying on a broom. Each of these skills will come in handy throughout the game. Even after learning all the spells, some objects can still only be interacted with by a certain type of character, which you will not have access to in the beginning. You must unlock new characters as you complete goals and levels, and come back later to replay a level with the unlocked characters. This will let you gain entry to more of the level and complete even more goals. You can also play as the pets of some of the characters, like Ron’s pet rat Scabbers. Some areas can only be accessed by using the special skills of these pets, like fitting into very small spaces or digging.
As you go along, you will collect a variety of things, like LEGO studs, red bricks, gold bricks, and crest pieces. The studs are the currency in this world, which you use to buy costumes, spells, characters, and gold bricks. If you collect a certain number of studs in each level, you get a True Wizard bonus, that awards you with a gold brick. The red bricks unlock special extras, like carrot wands or recovery after falling off a ledge. Gold bricks unlock vaults in Gringotts Bank, which contain bonus levels and content. The crest pieces, of which there are 4 in each story level, will award you with a piece of a LEGO Super Kit. Collect all 24 pieces to build the kit. Another way of getting a bonus is to help students in need. When you find a student in distress, help them by using your magic. They will be very grateful, and will unlock a bonus gold brick for you.
There is so much going on in this game that it isn’t possible to describe it all. You’ll meet old friends from the movies, and old enemies as well, all rendered less menacing and far cuter by being made of LEGO blocks. There is something so charming about the LEGO titles, and I am so excited whenever a new one comes out. For someone who is equally in love with the world of Harry Potter, this game was a sure win. It was even more fun than anticipated, and will provide you with many, many hours of building, breaking, and spell casting excitement. Available for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, and PSP.
Minimum System Requirements:
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