I really liked Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Perhaps I’m squinting through the rose – tinted monocle of nostalgia; but I remember Invisible War as being a game with an excellent script, interesting moral choices, the ability to be as violent or as non-confrontational as you liked, and as being set in an atmospheric future dystopia. So far as I can tell however, everybody else on the planet hates it. Perhaps in the foolish days of my youth I existed in a chocolate hob nob fuelled sugar rush haze, which warped my perception of reality. That would certainly explain why I spent two years married to a washing machine.

To make matters worse for my reputation and I, I foolishly blurted out my opinion that Invisible War is even better than the original Deus Ex. This is a statement I now retract, but for a reason that may well make you spit at your monitor in disgust even more; I never finished the first game. Please, please, let me explain.

I wrestled with the WSAD – mouse combo for months about five years ago because, at the time, I discovered several PC FPS games that interested me that my Babbage – esque PC could just about cope with. The most famous, and easily the best, of these games was Deus Ex. Deus Ex was in fact the reason I carried on trying to use a keyboard and mouse to play videogames for so long. I liked what I heard and, when I fired up the game, I certainly liked what I saw. I do not dislike Deus Ex. I played more than enough to realise here was an incredible game, whose release (years before I first played it) was an important moment for the videogames industry. The problem for me was, I was playing it on a PC.

The first thing I did after installing it was look for a gamepad control option which, much to my distress, did not exist. Or perhaps it was there, and my gamepad wasn’t compatible. I’m not sure; my washing machine wife was moaning at me to do the ironing at the time. The point is: I had to play using the WSAD – mouse combo, which I still hated.

My ex - wife, Michelle

Perhaps I just can’t get over the fact that keyboards and mice were never designed with videogames in mind. I tried though, I really did. With several games, over a long period of time. Nonetheless, to this day, playing any kind of action game with that setup feels awkward and unnatural to me. Like pretending to drive a car with a dinner plate for a steering wheel and an umbrella for a gearstick, making preposterous ‘brrm brrm’ noises with my lips all the while.

Early on in the game, I was trying to sneak past security somewhere. Fumbling with the controls didn’t make me very stealthy though, and I was soon caught. I had some pretty damn ineffectual weapons at the time (a pistol with one clip and a half eaten cheesestring. Possibly.) and soon found myself trying to weather a storm of bullets. To add insult to injury, the game quickly decided that not just one but both of my legs had been ripped to shreds. There I was, the hero of the adventure, crawling around helplessly like Ironside tipped out of his wheelchair. Here however, Ironside was up against an 8ft tall robot with twin Gatling guns.

I gave up on the game soon after that.

A year or two later I picked up the PS2 version of the game, and got considerably further before my attention drifted away from it. Now come on, don’t look like that; can you honestly say you’ve never failed to finish a game you were actually really enjoying? If so, then kudos to you. Also, you’re lying.

Perhaps those who are solely or primarily PC gamers have a different mindset? Half – Life, for instance. Another legendary game that I braved what I considered to be a ridiculous control method for. This time however I didn’t enjoy it all that much, which is why I eventually gave up on it. Yeah sure, it’s got some great ideas and some clever moments. Overall however, I found it a little… boring. There, I said it.

How do you people play Modern Warfare with these things? Seriously?

Nonetheless, I tried Half – Life 2. In fact, I completed it. This is because, as you may already have guessed, I played it on a console. The first console version to be released, in fact, on the original Xbox. A good game, an atmospheric game. Definitely not the second coming of videogames that many assert it to be however. I also can’t let the subject pass without saying this: I don’t care how many times people say the Half – Life games tell a good story without cut scenes, because they don’t. The Half – Life games tell their stories as coherently as a drunken preacher screaming about the end of the world. You can certainly see the overall picture, but a lot of important details are missing.

Do you think I’m dismissing much – loved PC games, or perhaps just much – loved Valve games, in a pathetic attempt to be fashionable? Well sorry, but I’m just being honest. In my defence in this regard, I’d like to say that I bought The Orange Box before my 360 died (again) and thoroughly enjoyed Episode 1. I thought it held together much better than the ‘proper’ Half – Life games, in fact. I also played and absolutely loved Portal. That game deserves every syllable of praise it’s enjoyed since it was first released.

After giving up on FPS games, I turned to the only genre that it seemed the PC was best at which actually interested me: Point and click adventures. I’ll always have fond memories of solid gold classics such as Beneath A Steel Sky, Curse of Monkey Island, Sam & Max Hit The Road, and Broken Sword. I also enjoyed lesser known but still excellent titles such as Discworld Noir and Toonstruck. Once these games discovered the third dimension and turned into ‘walk and click’ adventures however, they ceased to be the exclusive domain of the PC gamer. The final such game to remain PC exclusive at the time was Grim Fandango. Despite the awkward controls all walk and clicks seem doomed to suffer, I was completely enthralled by this unique world. Pray to the god of your choice that somebody tells Tim Schafer to make a sequel (with a version on at least one console, of course).

The latest instalments carrying the legendary Monkey Island and Sam & Max games can be found across the Wii, 360, and PS3 (though frustratingly, I’ll admit, no one console has all the relevant seasons). There’s even a ‘director’s cut’ of the original Broken Sword available for the DS. The last genre that interests me now has both feet firmly planted in the world of consoles, which is why I haven’t even tried to play anything on my PC for over a year.

Is it even justifiable to class any one game or genre as ‘PC’ or ‘console’ nowadays? RTS games, perhaps. Developers have made an effort to bring the genre to consoles via Command & Conquer, Stormrise, Civilisation, and more. All of these titles have bombed at retail however due to lack of consumer interest and/or inept execution on the relevant formats. MMOs are tentatively dipping their toes into console waters, but have a long way to go before they needn’t fear drowning. These games aside however, it seems to me fair to say that we no longer have ‘PC games’ and ‘console games’; we just have ‘games’. And I think that’s a good thing.

Virtually all major releases hit retail on console and PC simultaneously. If a decent game is initially released as a PC or console exclusive then, so long as it’s a third party title, it will almost certainly cross over to ‘the other side’ eventually. Consider these facts for a moment. No matter what your primary gaming format is, it’s ridiculous to defend it against the owners of other machines – we all like and play the same games.

We're all gamers together. We're all as cool as this guy.

The difference between a PC gamer and a console gamer nowadays tends to come down to what machine you spend most of your time playing on. Looking at it like that I always have been, and probably always will be, a console gamer. Why can’t I just be a ‘gamer’?

Audience participation time, now. What was it in the differences between PC Gamers and console gamers that used to exist that meant I was left underwhelmed by Half – Life and impressed by Invisible War? Do these differences still exist, despite the seismic shift in the gaming landscape? Did I just type almost 1600 words just to defend the fact I enjoyed Deus Ex: Invisible War??

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment has revealed new screenshots and character renders from Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest. The game, to be released in September for PS3, PSP, DS and Wii, puts the player in the role of the legendary ranger as he fights through the most iconic battles of the trilogy.

Boasting a line up of recognisable support characters, two player co-op and a colourful and fresh rendition of Middle-earth, Aragorn’s Quest is one to watch for any fan of the trilogy.

The screenshots below are from the PS3 version of the game. More information and media can be explored on the official website: http://aragornsquest.com

Names sell games, or at least that’s what EMI Music and Nordic Games are hoping for with the release of We Sing Robbie Williams on the Wii, which is meant to allow fans to celebrate 20 years of popular hits.

If you’ve ever wanted to deafen neighbours with your underrated singing talent that would get you shoved into the comic relief auditions on the X Factor then here is another chance, with the game letting you sing 25 of Robbie’s finest, complete with the original videos.

Rafael McDonnell, Senior Vice President for Brand Partnerships, Licensing & Synchronisation at EMI Music, said: “EMI has been at the forefront of working with the gaming industry and recorded music, with artists such as Robbie embracing this important format. We are really proud to be able to offer the opportunity for all of Robbie’s fans to get the chance to sing along to their favourite hits with this new and exciting game, and celebrate Robbie’s 20 years in the music industry.”

The songs that will be available for us to butcher are still under wraps, with the press release being delightfully vague about what will be on offer. “The full tracklisting for We Sing Robbie Williams is still to be announced but with a vast array of tracks to choose from, such as Angels, Rock DJ, Let Me Entertain You, She’s The One and Old Before I Die, it’s sure to appeal to fans of all ages.” So at the moment we know what might be on there because Mr Williams has sung a lot.

We Sing Robbie Williams is set to headline on the Nintendo Wii stage this October.

Stepping away from the dark depths of criminal insanity in Arkham Asylum, Batman will be making his way to the Wii and DS for side scrolling beat ‘em up action in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Basing itself in the animated series’ universe, it’s back to bright colours and uplifting soundtracks with Batman wandering through the world beating up criminals with the help of playable allies such as the Green Lantern, Robin and Blue Beetle in this co-op adventure.

The comic, arcade like pleasures of Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be available later this year on September 10. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Batman!

Last week, I wrote an article regarding the connection between videogame consoles and computers, and the war in the Congo – more specifically, people’s reactions to an article in Kotaku on the subject. Now, I am able to offer you a chance to show that you care.

I chose to treat the subject of ‘conflict minerals’ – in this case, minerals mined to fund the widespread rape and murder in the Congo – as more than something to update the site with one day. I contacted the international charity Oxfam with a view to supporting an existing online petition on the subject, and they kindly pointed me in the direction of Raise Hope For Congo. As part of their campaigning, RHFC have set up an online form where you can, with just one click of a mouse button, tell Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that you want them to ensure their machines contain no minerals from conflict zones.

It needs no more than thirty seconds of your time, if that – though you can personalise the message sent in the e mail if you wish. All you have to do is give your name and address, and click a button. That’s it.

The form is currently US-centric, but I live in the UK and I’ve filled it out. Simply mark ‘State/Province’ as ‘Other’. RHFC have told me that “We’re working to fix the functionality of the webform to make it more accessible for activists outside of the U.S.”.

Conflict minerals are not unique to videogame products, and RHFC are well aware of this. This is why your message will be sent to the 21 biggest electronics companies, the list of which includes Apple, Nokia, Samsung, IBM, and LG (as well as, of course, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, and Nintendo).This is the link you need; if the link doesn’t work on your browser/device, then please copy and paste it into your browser:

http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/1684/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6265

It’s not your fault that you own devices which have, in part, funded the horrors in the Congo – and believe me, the sad truth is that you do own such devices. But wouldn’t you rather be part of the solution than part of the problem?

To find out more about who Raise Hope For Congo are, what they do and why they do it, visit http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/.

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), 360, PC, PSP, Wii, DS
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Ubisoft
  
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Players: 1
• Site: http://prince-of-persia.us.ubi.com/#/videos/7750

Initially, we thought The Forgotten Sands was an adventure chronicling the efforts of eighties/nineties comedienne Sandi Toksvig and sixties singer Sandie Shaw to reclaim the fame and success they had previously enjoyed. We soon realised our mistake however, and saw that the subtitle was in fact the first indication that this latest Prince of Persia game aims to put the player in mind of Sands of Time.

The art design and plot pretend that 2008′s reboot of the franchise (which was actually quite good) never happened and, with a brief mention of Farah, leapfrogs over all the other games to connect directly to Sands of Time. With his reacquired floppy hair and unobtrusive goatee, the Prince would once again fit snugly into the world cup winning Spanish football team. They even brought back Yuri Lowenthal to voice him. Your enemies are once again made of magical sand (no, really) and the new yet familiar looking locales are dusty and ancient looking. Even gameplay has, to an extent, been lifted straight from the older title.

If you haven’t played 2003′s Sands of Time then you’re missing out. Loved by fans and critics alike, it forged the mould that all following Prince of Persia games have been set by. One of the main gimmicks is the acrobatic nature of the platforming and combat. You’ll be running up and across walls and jumping from ledge to ledge, often timing your moves carefully to avoid traps. You’ll swing from poles and jump between walls to get to higher ground, and often slow your descent by ‘riding’ cloth banners down to the ground by ripping them with your sword. We mention all this because it’s all present and correct in The Forgotten Sands.

Also present, as in every PoP game of the last seven years, is the time rewind mechanic. So long as at least one ‘energy’ slot is filled, the player can rewind time (that is, the entire game) by several precious seconds, for a second chance at a missed jump – or to again fight the final moments of a battle where the Prince died. Imagine what you could do with the power to rewind time! The possibilities are endless. You could instantly replay a particularly satisfying fart, for example.

All those enemies, and the Prince picks on the one looking for his contact lens.

TFS has a few tricks of its own, however. The first is the ability to solidify water and, as you can perform and undo this trick mid – jump, it’s used for some very clever platforming sequences. Later still in the game you gain the ability to ‘recall’ pieces of the environment which have crumbled away. The catch here is that you can only recall one part of the environment at a time which again, leads to many mid-air uses of the magic.

The one criticism consistently levelled at Sands of Time was that the combat, whilst a thing of acrobatic beauty, allowed fights to go on for longer than most players were comfortable with. This is not an issue with TFS. Although most fights involve more enemies at once than in SoT, they’re over more quickly – especially once you’ve upgraded your sword attacks, which you’re able to do fairly early on.

Here, you see, is an RPG – lite upgrade and experience system. It basically works like this: Kill loads of enemies, buy/upgrade ability once you have enough XP, rinse and repeat until comfortable. You can upgrade your health and energy bars as well as existing abilities, and there are four powers to unlock and upgrade, which consume the same energy as the time rewinding; temporary invincibility, a smart bomb – style attack, and two others which are frankly a bit rubbish.

Despite the effort put into improving combat, it’s actually ultimately inferior to the SoT system. You can’t jump from enemy to enemy with quite the same grace, and you’re rarely afforded the opportunity to use the environment to dodge and counterattack. You can still roll to avoid attacks but bafflingly, there’s no block button. This, combined with the sheer number of enemies in the later stages of the game, means that there’s sometimes no avoiding combat degenerating into button bashing.

A huge part of SoT’s appeal was the script. Especially impressive in a platform action game, it did a fantastic job of crafting the characters of the Prince and his female companion Farah. The Prince almost always only talks to other characters in cutscenes in TFS, with the result that he talks to (and jokes with) himself fairly regularly in between killing things. He comes off as mildly psychotic. That’s besides the point; despite basically copying SoT’s plot at the beginning of the game, TFS’s script quite simply can not compare. The ending, while it ties things up nicely whilst hinting at a sequel, doesn’t come close to the bittersweet conclusion of the Prince’s experiences with Farah.

The world cup celebrations in Madrid had gone a bit too far.

Much less easy to forgive is the final Krypton Factor – style water platforming section. The design of this watery gauntlet is sound, impressive even; but unexpected and highly unwelcome problems with collision detection at a few critical points ruin it. The boss that soon follows is disappointingly traditional. The bosses and mini – bosses peppered throughout the rest of the game are disappointing in a different way. They tower over the Prince; nothing wrong with that, we love a nice big boss at CG. The problem is the highly uninventive way you deal with them – by hacking away at their ankles like a demented flea.

Careful what you wish for, Ubisoft. The Forgotten Sands is a good game and yes, reminiscent of Sands of Time; but when the inevitable comparisons are made, this is one remix that falls well short of the original.

7/10

Remember the Nintendo Wii? Of course you do, everyone and your dog owns one. It is the little white (or now black) box that couldn’t satisfy you if you had the nerve to consider yourself “proper hardcore.”

That’s a half-truism. Every now and then a more mature game with a different target audience than what the Wii generally caters to is released, such as No More Heroes, Madworld, or House of the Dead Overkill. Unfortunately, these games usually tank on the charts because the audience these games are aimed at probably doesn’t own a Wii, or if they do, they’ve long since forgotten about it. Why? Games that target the traditional fan base took a little too long getting to the machine, or are so few and far between that they can often slip by the public unnoticed.

The Conduit, released in the summer of 2009, was one of those games that slipped by the radar. There was a lot of hype leading up to its release, but once it hit store shelves the game received mixed reviews from industry leading critics, and worse than that, it had box art that screamed “bargain bin.”

Okay. Honestly, that was a larger introduction than I’m used to writing, and chances are that you, the reader, have stopped doing your job. That is, uh, reading.

Conduit 2 (the developers dropped the “The” from the title) is coming out in the fall of this year, and if all goes according to plan, it’ll blow the pants off of not only the original, but what you expect from a Wii shooter.

First off, let’s be clear: developer High Voltage Software (HVS) is smart. Many people consider the original Conduit to be a technological marvel on the Wii console. The Quantom3 engine has been refined once again and the effects are immediately noticeable. Conduit 2 looks phenomenal. Wii release or not, the game looks good. It’d be mind blowing in full 1080p. HVS knows what they are doing with visuals.

But what really makes HVS so intelligent is that they listen to the gamers. They listen to the critics. Yes, most companies say they do, but these guys really are. In this day and age you have to. There is so much competition in the market that you can’t afford to ignore what the users online are talking about. You have to compete for the love. You have to compete for the money.

One of the complaints critics made was about boss battles. In the original, there wasn’t so much bosses as there were regular, powered up regular enemies. Gameplay design flaw number 1. In the sequel, there are full on bosses with full on battles. Early levels on display showcased a canned fight scene versus a rather hefty leviathan.

Working around Nintendo’s Friend Code policy, HVS has developed their own in-game Rivals List. This will allow you to bookmark friends and enemies in a quick and easy manner, rather than using the clunky Friends Code option delivered to you by Nintendo in most system releases.

Wii Motion Plus? Well, of course. It’d be absolutely juvenile for High Voltage to release a game catering to this particular market without accessories for the hardcore. Interestingly enough, however, HVS isn’t going to use Motion Plus for your traditional 1-for-1 movement tracking, and instead will use the optional add-on for recalibration of the controller. Essentially, when you move your Wii remote cursor off screen, the device will help recognize it quicker.

There are improvements to be mentioned for sure but to be frank, Conduit 2 looks strikingly similar to The Conduit. If you’re a Wii gamer looking for a more traditional first person shooting experience, check out this game. If by chance you are regular, run of the mill Nintendo Wii user (there are 70+ million of you), you will probably walk right by HVS’s newest offering, looking for a friendly family title.

Everyone likes aimlessly tapping buttons. It can pass time, annoy friends and if Hudson’s 16 Shot! Shooting Watch is anything to go by, can also be made into a game.

This DSiWare download, which is out Friday, emulates a standalone handheld that Hudson released in 1987, which basically challenged you to hit buttons as fast as you could, aiming to get the most button bashes recorded in a second.

This version lets you tap away at the A button, or both A and B on your DSi over a period of either five or ten seconds, with a readout at the end telling you the most button mashes you registered in a second.

It’s not exactly a Mario Kart beater, but if you want a quick five minute game of ‘who’s the most awesome’ amongst your mates, this seems like an ideal way to decide on a winner. And when you’re not trying to break your thumbs setting a new record, it even comes with a slot machine and stop watch mode.

I’m not going to elaborate on the link between gaming and the Congo conflict here. I was reminded of it by an article from Brian Crecente, editor at Kotaku, and I advise you to read it too. The article links out to further information which is well worth investigating. In fact if you don’t already know much about the issue, I would urge you to read Crecente’s article before continuing with mine.

I’m approaching this issue from a completely different angle. When I started reading the comments Crecente’s article attracted, I became more and more furious until I had to stop reading them. I was so angry, I could just as easily have screamed as cried. Whilst the comments posted on Kotaku itself are generally calm in tone, those posted on N4G featured predictably naked insecurity and vitriol.

First thing’s first: Nobody is saying that you are knowingly supporting the war in the Congo. Nobody’s saying you knew where the components came from when you bought your PS3/PC/360/Wii/whatever. Nobody’s saying you are directly responsible for the pain and suffering, nobody’s saying the war would stop if nobody played videogames, and nobody’s saying there aren’t a hundred thousand other products that contribute to the conflict (and many others).

Let’s look this ugly issue right in the face, shall we? Most of the ‘why should I care’ comments mask an attitude of ‘This is happening to a bunch of black kids in a far away place, not me or my neighbours, so why should I give a shit? I’m not giving up my games for anybody’. If you found that a percentage (however small) from the sale of your favourite games machine went to fund violence and rape on your doorstep, you’d care then, wouldn’t you? I hope for the sake of us all that you would.

Photo: AP

Saying ‘other products and hobbies fund war atrocities too’ isn’t an argument – it’s a cowardly get – out clause. If you discovered people on your street were kidnapping and raping children, would you report them – or would you shrug your shoulders and join in?

Oh I’m sorry, was that last paragraph shocking? Unnecessary? The sad truth is that proposing an extreme theoretical situation like that is going to connect with you emotionally much more than detailing the real life suffering happening right now to human beings you’ll never meet. The point is, you should have left the ‘well they’re doing it’ argument at nursery school.

It’s important to remember that comments – both positive and negative – are only left on websites by a vocal minority, so it’s difficult to gauge just how many readers of that article took such a callous view of the situation. Nonetheless some certainly did, and some even take the issue lightly enough to make poor jokes about it. Why? Well I’ve already hinted at the possibility that some simply hate the idea of being told to stop playing their games, and that others wrongly assumed they were being accused of knowingly contributing to the conflict. The bottom line is however, many people (to one degree or another) find it difficult to empathise with people unless they’re standing in front of them.

“So what do you expect me to do?” I hear you cry. A fair question. I’m not going to tell you to destroy your consoles – I don’t want to do that either. In theory, what I want you to do is simple; tell Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft (incidentally, the only company to indicate they try to avoid sourcing materials from conflict zones) that you do not want to buy machines made with conflict minerals. The best way of doing this will probably be an online petition, so I ask you: do you know of an already established one we can help to promote? If so then please leave a link, along with any other ideas, via a comment below.

If you don’t think complaining or protesting will make a difference, you’re wrong. If the big three see that the issue is widely known – and most importantly of all, that people care about it – they will issue public statements. If they officially declare that they will do their best to ensure that no conflict minerals are used in their machines then no, you and I have no way of checking this; but there are official bodies who can and will. That’s how the issue was discovered in the first place.

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), 360, PC, PSP, Wii, DS
  
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
  
• Developer: Traveller’s Tales
  
• Players: 1 – 2
  
• Site: http://games.kidswb.com/official-site/lego-harry-potter/

In theory at least, the phrase ‘Lego Harry Potter Videogame’ is to children what the phrase ‘Excruciatingly Detailed Violated Childhood’ is to book publishers. Regardless of quality there are masses of people ready to pounce on it cash in hand, and the sales have already reflected this. Doubtless aware of this fact, have Traveller’s Tales tried to give the fans a decent game for their money?

Every Lego game so far has stuck to the same basic formula, and this is no different in that regard. Much of the scenery, and all of the vehicles and characters, are designed to look just like Lego – exact replicas of the real life sets wherever possible (kerching!). This means that destroyed characters and objects collapse into their component Lego parts, and the currency used to buy unlocked extras are the Lego ‘studs’ scattered when such destruction occurs.

Again as in previous Lego titles, you’ll be building as well as destroying (though you’ll usually have to break something to get the parts). Most of this building is automatic once you have the bricks but now and again, you’ll need to guide one brick onto another. In this way you can progress by creating platforms, bridges, and less obvious items. The building is done via the first spell you learn, Wingardium Leviosa – which works in an identical manner to The Force in Lego Star Wars.

"I'm not wearing that hat, I'll look like a brick."

Other spells you learn during the 24 story levels (six levels for each year) aren’t used nearly as frequently, but still prove essential to progress; usually because some enemies are only vulnerable to one particular spell. The other gameplay element used as a minor obstacle to progress is mixing potions. Each potion requires three ingredients, which translates to a mini fetch – quest. All three ingredients are always very close to one another however – often on the same screen – so this is never frustrating. Once prepared the potion bestows some ability necessary to move on, such as extra strength to pull a chain which opens a door. Revisit a level in Free Play mode however, and you can usually bypass potions altogether.

When a story level has been completed it is unlocked for Free Play, which allows you to play through again armed with spells learned in later levels, and the ability to switch between any and all characters you’ve unlocked and purchased. So for example you can use a strong character such as Alan Moore lookalike Hagrid to pull a previously useless chain, or an evil character such as Bobby Kotick to build something impervious to ‘good’ magic (no, Kotick isn’t really in the game as an evil wizard, but we wish he was). In this way you can find and collect the characters, crests, and gold bricks (which unlock bonus levels) you were missing the first time around. There are even red bricks which unlock cheats to be found between levels. It is literally impossible to achieve 100% completion of the game in one playthrough and in fact, we’re not convinced it’s possible to come close to 50%.

The slightly surreal bonus levels offer a break from the story mode. Created with the level builder included on the disc, they’re basically there to show the player what’s possible, and are completely different from the story levels. There are in addition four brief tutorial levels for the ‘builder’, which are slightly misleading. They actually tell you very little, and barely hint at the complexity of the editor. The complexity isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it’s very impressive what you can do with the level editor. Younger gamers will quickly become frustrated however, and wander off to find something they can pull the legs off. Such as a cat (possibly). What will frustrate older gamers is that they must start off with one of the bonus levels rather than build their own from scratch, and there’s no LBP or even Joe Danger style level sharing.

Write your own caption - just keep it to yourself.

So most of your time will almost certainly be spent with the story levels, and thankfully they’re great fun. The game throws something new at you every few levels and yes, this is certainly partly down to the source material – but it’s also attributable to the developers’ determination to provide good old fashioned fun. No decent review can ignore the game’s sense of humour either. It’s gentle family friendly stuff of course, but excellently done – present not only in the cutscenes, but also during gameplay. Very few jokes rely on the Harry Potter story, so can appeal to everyone. That said if you haven’t read the books and/or seen the movies, then the lack of dialogue renders trying to understand what’s going on in the cutscenes as difficult as trying to understand the London tube system while drunk.

As always two people can play together (in the same room) and in this game, that’s an excellent opportunity for a parent or older sibling to help a younger gamer with the puzzles – particularly those with fiddly brick manipulation. A less welcome trademark of the Lego games is screen tearing, which unfortunately comes back here too. In our case at least however, switching on the ‘v sync’ option eradicated the problem. There still seem to be a few minor bugs; in one instance, we had to exit and then re-enter an area in order for a magic painting to acknowledge our existence.

If you have a disturbingly obsessive hatred for Harry Potter, this is not for you. If you are a fan of the boy wizard and/or Lego games – or in fact, if you’re just a fan of good games – you should find dozens of hours (presuming you’re something of a completist) of entertainment here. If you’re the kind of nut who thinks nothing of sitting outside a bookshop at 4am wearing a pointy hat, you can add at least one mark to the score; this is easily the best Harry Potter game so far.

8/10