After finishing the Playstation version I concentrated on this one. Ironically, this one was actually the first version I ever played. Like the Playstation version, this also gives you the feel of being a student. However, there are differences in this version.
In the Playstation version, Harry Potter is the silent protagonist save for when he’s casting spells (think Link from Zelda or the 10-year-old trainers from Pokemon), but in this version he says very little. The thing is, Harry only reacted in the first book, so it actually makes perfect sense. You also have to collect beans for Fred and George, but instead of collecting a certain type of bean you just collect 25 beans and trade them for Wizard Cards throughout the game. You have to collect all the Wizard Cards in order to see the secret ending and like the book, Dumbledore’s the first card you get.
You also get to attend classes and learn spells. In order to learn the spell, you have to trace a symbol provided by the Professor. As fun as it is, there’s a ticking clock that can make you very nervous and your hand can be unsteady because of it, so it’s hard to pass the final tracing lesson. After that’s over, you get to participate in a challenge where you try to collect all the stars hidden throughout it. You earn points based on how well you traced the spell and how well you completed the challenge associated with it. There is one spell you learn from Hermione called Alohomora and you even get points from her, which brings up one question. How is Hermione able to give points? I have no problem with her teaching a spell, but actually giving points? Couldn’t she have just given you a Wizard Card or something? That would have made a lot more sense. Another problem I have is that you never have a Transfiguration Class. I understand not having History of Magic in the game, but Transfiguration? The only time you even see McGonagall is when she tells you that you’ve made the Quidditch team and then she just disappears.
Like the book, Cerberus is still guarding the stone (yes I know his name is Fluffy, but I’m calling him Cerberus) and you have to put him to sleep by playing the flute. However you never talk to Hagrid about any of this, so you never find out how to put him to sleep. You never even find out the dog’s name. All you know is that there’s a three-headed dog guarding the door and you were never told how to get past it. Unless Harry gained the deduction skills of Sherlock Holmes, there’s no way he would be able to figure out how to get past Cerberus. It also makes Ron’s line about how “Only Hagrid would call this monster Fluffy,” very out of place.
Again, we have Quidditch in this game and it even gets its own separate section, but they didn’t even try with this one. In this version, there is a mention of an opposing Seeker, but you never even see your opponent. The rings produced by the snitch don’t even serve a purpose, except to show you where it is. Like the Playstation version, the only way of losing the game is to get knocked out and this time you don’t have armor protecting you.
Like the Playstation version, the game is relatively easy except for the Wizard Cards. The difference is every part of this game plays some role in the overall storyline and you even find out why Fred and George are collecting beans. I give this game a 6 out of 10.