Good Books - Bad Game **UPDATED!** (Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (GBA))

Member Name: madlads35

Product:	Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (GBA)
Date:	04/02/02 (639 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Harry Potter , Nintendo

Disadvantages: Hard, annoying

Hey, I haven't written a review for ages. This is in fact my first one in about a fortnight. This is because my p.c broke down and i was stranded with no dooyoo. I know that all you madl;ads fans out there have been depressed since my P.C broke (and there is a lot of them. or not.) but now I am back in bussiness BABY!

So, at first I hated anything to do with harry potter. I hated him, his books, J.K rowling, His merchandise and other stuff. I thought that the books were childish and stupid. I'd always hated Sci-Fi stuff and I especially hated childrens books about witchcraft. They were alweays stupid like 'the worst witch' etc. (for those of you who don't know about the worst witch, I shall tell you how bad it was in 1 sentence. CITV made 1/2 series about it.). They were always childish and didn't catch my attention.

Then, one warm Skegness evening, I was staying in a Caravan at the time, my cousin got out his Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire book. I feklt like spitting on it. But then, when I read the first chapter, It was like magic (excuse the pun). The wording on it was brilliant and the storyline always keeps you involved. What I really like about the HP books is that it tells you about Harrys daily goings ons not just about the main story. I had never seen that in a book before. It was like an Adults-Childrens book. I thought J.K Rowling was a true visionary

I soon had bought and read all of the Harry Potter Books (I read all 600 pages of HP and the Goblet of Fire in 1 week. My cousin has been reading it for a year.) I needed something else. Something more. Unfortunately the next Harry Potter book won't be coming out for ages so I set my heart on HP and the Philsophers stone with a game boy Advance for Christmas.

I got my wish along with 3 other games (I've done reviews on them all) and I was happy.

As soon as I turned on my GBA I was impressed. Good Graphics, Nice sound Effects an
d even a save game option. I was playing on it for AGES.

In the game you play Harry Potter (obviously)in his first year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. His friends, Hermoine Granger and ron Weasley, help you along the way.

The first mission was to learn a spell. All you have to do is copy the proffesors hand movements and you're away.

Next came snapes potion class where you have to find glass vials. No so easy this time but I got through in the end.

Flying lessons came after that and you have to fly after Draco Malfoy to get something off him. Thjis one was hard but with a lot of luck I had done it.

Then Draco Malfoy asks you for a duel. He says to meet him at night in a trophy room

You then go up to your room and see one of your freinds who teahes you a spell to open doors. Ah! use this to go to Draco Malfoy. All fits in.

So you have to sneak out of your dorm at night and past loads of prefects patrolling halls and go down to the trophy room to battle Draco Malfoy

I had tried this again and again and again but still i failed and failed etc. So I did what any self-respecting guy with a lot of time with his hands would do. I gave up on the idea all together and didn't play HP for about a month.

Then, one night I had gotten extremely board with ISS and co and decided to give old harry another chance. THANK GOD! I did the thing first time, no hassle, minimum irritation.

After the whole Hall Fiasco you have to get past snape or some other teacher in the hall back to your room. This also could be difficult to do but, yet again, I did it first time!

By now you're probably thinking 'my hero' but I am just an average guy with terrible looks and an obession with fruit. On with the opinion...

Then you have to do another series of tasks like playing quidditch (a game not unlike rugby but on broomsticks) and finding ingerdients for a pot
ion.


I am currently at the end of the game but am stuck. REALLY STUCK. First of all you need a knowledge of chess to finish the game. I can barely play draughts, let alone chess.

So my friends and foes alike (why did I say that) the iritation begins again. And I am not learning chess for the sake of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is a brilliant series of books but the game boy Advance version of the the Philosiphers Stone lacks ease of Use. Apart from that, I think the game on a whole is pretty good.

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