LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7

My husband & I love the LEGO series of games as they are so easy to play as two players. They suit both of us, my husband being a regular gamer and myself liking puzzle type games. This latest Harry Potter game does not disappoint. There are new features and new spells to learn as well as the 'old' spells which appear in the first HP game. The dark tone of the books / films does come across, but so far (we haven't completed the game yet) it hasn't spoilt the gameplay, in fact it has added a new dimension to it as you are able to interact with other characters and use your own characters' individual abilities more. We particularly like the new duelling feature and the water spell.

Overall a brilliant game which generally follows the storylines of the series delving you into a world of good vs evil.

What a great game.big huge levels to explore with lots of actions and puzzles and collectibles.great cutscenes.funny as always.if you love harry potter love this game.if you're not really a potter fan.you will still love it!!!.graphics and.colorful and smooth.the game is huge.tonnes too do and unlock.the game captures the emotions and the darkness of the potter series.more so than the single movie games.its great fun.you will really enjoy it.laugh along the way as well.it takes all the parts of lego years 1-4 and improves it.gameplay wise.and.graphically.go and buy it.potter fan or not.you wont be dissapointed.happy gaming.

Barely a few months go by at the moment without Travellers Tales producing yet another Lego themed game for all consoles and there's a good reason for it - they've got the formula absolutely right. For those of you not familiar with Lego games of this type, rest assured you won't feel let down by the charm and beauty of these games - combining Lego with some of the best loved characters to produce a puzzle-solving, brick building blockbuster of a game.

Following on from Lego Harry Potter: Episodes 1-4 there isn't a lot new to the gameplay - instead the producers here take inspiration from the latest three books/films and pick some highlights to turn into Lego form. All your favourite characters make an appearance one again while a slightly updated spell caster really helps to make things clearer and prevent you from ending up in a situation where you are unsure of what spell to be casting at a particular moment. The usual mix of battles, amusing videos and collectables are presented in a charming fashion that keeps you coming back for more.

So have these games got repetitive? It's worth noting that if you have played most of the Lego series before this you'll find little new in this game but if you've only played a couple of others its probably worth the investment. It'll keep you coming back to find every brick, complete every challenge and discover every stud until theres nothing left to do.

If one word were to be chosen to describe the Traveller's Tales (TT) LEGO series it would have to be prolific. The catalogue of franchises that have been given the LEGO brick treatment has grown rapidly and what big name should be next is a hot topic of debate among fans of the series and bemused observers alike. While the much hoped for LEGO Halo or LEGO Lord of the Rings will have to wait, TT have returned to end the LEGO saga they started in LEGO Harry Potter years 1-4 and they have done so with versions of the game on pretty much every console on sale today (and even one in production for the playstation Vita!).

The first thing to note and indeed it is something that anyone will notice the instant they start playing the game, is that the visuals have been improved vastly. Although there is a limit to how realistic you can make a LEGO brick, the cinematic backgrounds and weather effects make a massive difference. There is more action, more character models on screen, more lightning bolts, and more sparkle. LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 offers a cinematic seamless presentation right from the first cut scene of the prelude. Unlike previous games it is often actually pretty unclear when you are playing one of the games levels or merely walking around the games main area of Hogwarts. The game's visuals have a real feel of experimentation to them. For example a new in game flame system, which uses a sparkling fiery LEGO piece to simulate a flame, can be found alongside the old particle system flames from previous games. There are many elements in this game that suggest that TT are far from getting tired with the LEGO experience....

Many aspects of the gameplay have not changed since the very first LEGO Star Wars game, which itself saw TT return to finish the saga with a second disk edition. Despite being a little harsh, the statement that once you've played one LEGO game you've played them all is both a strength and weakness of the franchise. Long-term fans of the series will find themselves grounded by the infectiously simple smash and grab gameplay and familiar puzzles early on in the piece but gameplay wise there is preciously little new here. Where there were the force powers in earlier Star Wars LEGO games read wizardry in both this and the older LEGO Harry Potter game. Whereas LEGO Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and LEGO Batman focused on melee combat, LEGO Harry Potter stays true to its source material (and it goes without saying Harry Potter isn't built for brawling) by including a myriad of ice and fire spells with which to wage war from afar. The reward for exploring and destroying every plant pot on an entire level are still those shiny LEGO studs that almost subconsciously force you to veer the analogue stick magnetically in their direction. Hundreds of thousands of LEGO studs later and you'll still need a few thousand more to unlock some character or gameplay option. Completist gamers beware as many hours are needed to unravel all of the secrets of any LEGO game.

The combat in LEGO has always been more of a hindrance to the player (not to mention the way to lose your coins) while puzzles have been the main obstacle. Attempts made by TT to boost the difficulty of the combat in LEGO Star Wars the Clone Wars (by including overt combat challenges that required the player to take over bases in a time limit) have not found their way into this game or are the puzzles as inventive as those of the Pirates of the Caribbean (which had the whole of pirate lore to call upon). The player lifts smaller LEGO block objects and slides them into place to build larger objects or smashes larger objects to obtain smaller objects again. This `build it up break it down' formula is one of the defining features of the series. Keys have to be found for doors, lanterns lit, potions of various kinds made from scattered ingredients, ghostly paintings interacted with, missing objects found for distraught bystanders, walls knocked down and so on. The mumbled dialogue and slapstick humour of every LEGO cut scene has also been retained and given a lick of paint by way of improved textures and lighting. The characters in Harry Potter are still skill class based, and numerous character types are required to get the most coins and unlocks from a level. Puzzles often require the player to combine LEGO character skills such as magic, mechanical ability or strength to dissect a problem and find a solution.

Staying true to the first LEGO Harry Potter game, the various student in peril puzzles return and require the gamer to rescue a Hogwarts's student who has managed to get himself tangled up in some form of mortal danger. Getting him down from a ledge or clearing poisonous vines from his path will earn you his thanks and hefty amount of coin. The replay value of unlocking the vast number of story mode levels in free play is an ever-present feature. Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy playing through the end of the series while visiting scenes from both the final books and films. Gamers who enjoyed the previous LEGO gameplay offerings will enjoy this game regardless of whether they know anything about Harry Potter. It is a solid enjoyable gameplay experience, which is improved by co-operative gameplay, without being ground-breaking. People looking for a fun experience to share with family members around Christmas time should look no further. Read more ›

bought as a gift for our son , I shalln't say how old he is, approx 25 years, and he had a great deal of fun with this game! great graphics and super little characters!

familiar game play with some new bits thrown in .. it follows on nicely from 1-4 and is a little less confusing in its layout but you will still get lost from time to time .
graphics are bright and colourfull with lots of light sourcing and reflections . its surround sound is accurate and powerfull .
it's easy to pick up and get going and can probably finish the story quite quickly .. however to complete the game will take a lot more work , hunting down all the characters and specials in the various levels and at hogwarts .
it's great fun chosing a loved character like Bellatrix and taking her somewhere she wasn't in the films . in places there is an all new duelling mode where wizards and witches battle one on one .
overall a great end to the harry potter lego experience .. thoroughly enjoyed by all the family .
looking forward to Lord of the Rings .