Lego Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – PC – Review

Find the chocolate frogs, learn a lesson,
advance in the game.

Well, Creator Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets may not be the most faithful rendering of JK Rowling’s novel,
but in the typical Lego style, it does have some charm to it.

The Qube Software game, developed with
Lego Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive and published by Electronic
Arts, is definitely geared toward younger children and has an arcade flair
to it, although the edit world function could tickle the imaginations and
creativity of those slightly older.

The game itself is essentially an arcade-style
romp through Hogwarts with games and side quests along the way. You are
challenged to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, but that is
not the entire purpose of this game.

It is meant to be fun, unobtrusive and
entertaining. The challenge won’t be there for older players seeking adventure,
but for younger players, the pacing of the game will lead them gently along.

You begin by selecting which of the principle
characters you would like to take the role of ­ Harry, Ron (Weasley)
or Hermione (Granger). After picking an avatar, players are whisked away
to the grounds of Hogwarts. The first task is collect chocolate frogs.
This is done by running over them, much like a player would a power-up
in other games.

Once you have collected enough frogs, you
are allowed to train. This is necessary because it enables you to pass
through portals into other parts of the school. So Harry thumps along across
the lawns of Hogwarts, up passages, across water, climbing stairs and running
over frogs. At last they are collected and Harry begins to look for that
first training … but wait! Hedwig has arrived, meaning Harry has mail.

The game immediately switches over to Hedwig
and players get to control the snowy owl as he tries to locate his master
and deliver his mail.

But Creator offers more than just a casually
associated romp through the second adventure of the young wizard. The game
comes with an “edit world” function that is a joyous experience. Gamers
can actually alter the playing world. The feature has a palette, which
gives players a host of options from creating models to changing the weather.
The workshop holds a variety of Lego building blocks. You can built your
own structures, paint them and place them in the world.

If you so desire, you can even create and
customize minifigures.

The game’s control system has been kept
very easy to learn and control. Creator is bright and color, though there
are some problems with narrow pathways through the game, cameras that can
be temporarily stuck behind objects. And depending on the camera angle,
some of the world’s objects can cut-away. The environment, though bright
and colorful, lacks texture.

The sound of the game is solid, and powered
by the narration of David Cocker, the audio portion of the game keeps the
overall tone going strong.

This is a game that has a variety of minigames
but is a little too simple for the experienced player to enjoy without
taking a complete mental vacation. But with the vast appeal of the title
character, doubtless there are those who will enjoy the Lego treatment
of the tale. This is a game that is best for younger gamers.

This game is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7

The game plods along at a slow pace, which
may be perfect for younger players without a lot of keyboard or gaming
skills. The experienced gamer will likely find the general tempo slower
than he or she would like. The mapboards are not that big per region of
the game.

Graphics: 6.8

The environments are bright and color,
and the look is typically Lego-esque. The world does have seams, and sharp
angles and rendering can appear too harsh at times. The follow camera can
get stuck behind objects, interrupting the look of the game. Overall, the
animation is smooth.

Sound: 7

The narration is very well done, and keeps
the tone of the game upbeat and lively. The other sound elements are merely
average.

Difficulty: Easy

This is not a game that will challenge
serious game players, or even those teen-aged or above. The game play is
quite simplistic.

Concept: 7.5

The tone of the game is bright and fun,
and the “edit world” features are a delight.

Overall: 7

This is a game targeting younger players,
thus the mood, tempo and tone is light. The game is an arcade romp built
along the themes of the JK Rowling book. Don’t expect serious quests. The
game has some solid features, but also has some failings, as in the camera
angles, which can get stuck. This game will likely have limited appeal.