Harry Potter games are much like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. You don’t know whether you will get scrumptious lemon drop flavored bean or the one that will leave a foul taste in your mouth all day long. Certainly, there were games that came close to being good but just don’t quite get it right. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is one of my personal favorite books in the series and now that the movie is hitting theaters it’s no surprise that the game has shown up as well.

Guess what, Potter fans? Half-Blood Prince isn’t half-bad but it’s not an amazing title with innovative features and darn if it doesn’t capture the Quidditch matches as good as it should have considering the flight controls are decent. What it does get right is the story and the fact that you are able to explore Hogwarts and beyond. You can even join a school club and attend a class. 

The story finds Harry, Hermione and Ron in their sixth year at Hogwarts as Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are lurking in the dark corners waiting to strike again. As Harry prepares himself to face off against the Dark Lord and realizes that Voldemort has allies all around him, he discovers a potions book with special notes written on the pages that work better than what the textbook has to offer. It doesn’t take Harry long to find out that the book was meant for the “Half-Blood Prince” who might just be a student attending class with them.

Like last Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince opens up Hogwarts to gamers so you’re free to explore the school and the outskirts that lead to the Burrow (where Quidditch is played), the woods that lead to the boatyard and even familiar places like Hagrid’s cottage and the very spot where Hermione punched Draco in Prisoner of Azkaban. You will find a number of places to explore on your own via the Great Staircase (complete with moving paintings) such as Dumbledore’s office and even the greenhouse where the Herbology classes take place.

While you’ll be taking on missions that advance the story, you will also get to take on other activities when you join different clubs as well as lend a hand to any Hogwarts student looking for help. Harry Potter fans will get a kick out of performing little tasks such as lighting fireworks with still-wonderfully-spacey Luna Goodlove or making a potion to make Ron feel lucky for an upcoming Quidditch match. The good news is that this time around you won’t get lost wandering the halls thanks to the fact that you can call up Nearly Headless Nick to show you the way to different areas instead of following magical footprints.

Speaking of potion making and Quidditch, you can participate in both of these events. Making different potions has you mixing in ingredients that pop up on the right along with the color the potion recipe calls for while mixing said ingredients before the timer runs out. As you progress in the game, potions become more elaborate to make and you’ll be required to do things like shake a flask or beaker until it bubbles until you pour it in as well as stir the cauldron to get the right color. It sounds easy enough but the first-person view doesn’t help much when it comes to the pouring of the ingredients and one wrong step means starting over. 

Then there’s Quidditch as you join your team attempting to beat out the other teams to keep Gryffindor as a top-ranking Quidditch team. You’ll be flying on your broomstick once again and the flight controls aren’t too difficult or clumsy, although there has got to be a better way to handle the match than flying through a series of stars while avoiding hazards to catch the snitch.

Another aspect of the game that you will see plenty of throughout the game is dueling. Whether you’re going the Gryffindor Dueling Club or dueling against Hogwarts bullies or Lord Voldemort’s associates. You can dodge and fling spells like Stupefy and Levicorpus at your opponent as well as shield yourself from attacks. While not horrible, dueling could have been a lot better considering the fact that the controls are good. You can even take on a friend in multiplayer mode but I don’t see fans playing this mode for long periods of time.

The problem with Half-Blood Prince is that the club activities get old quickly … especially making potions. You’ll even be mixing the punch at the school’s party in one segment, which starts feeling like doing homework during Christmas. Still, the game does a great job of making you feel like you’re walking in Harry’s shoes as the seasons come and go and key events begin to unfold before you just like in the novel and the movies. There are also plenty of collectibles to gather and secrets to discover.

As far as the graphics are concerned, Half-Blood Prince looks gorgeous on the Xbox 360. The characters look just like the actors with Harry being the one that truly resembles Daniel Radcliff. Ok, well, there’s also Ginny Weasley but Ron and Hermione don’t look as good as Harry. Even Dumbledore looks a bit strange. Then again, the game’s visuals redeem itself with the wonderful recreation of Hogwarts and the spell casting effects. 

There’s also a great soundtrack that is true to the movies. The original score plays throughout the game and punctuates the cut scenes perfectly. Then there’s the voice acting in the game that attempts to capture the voices of the actors and - for the most part - does a good job. While some of the characters don’t sound just as good at least the performances are good.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is not the most perfect Potter game for the Xbox 360 but it’s also not a bad way to spend a long weekend either. There are elements in the game that come close to being absolutely brilliant but then there are the elements that don’t work as well as it should to make this a great Harry Potter title. Still, I recommend this one as a rental for those who like to go back to Hogwarts for another semester.

Gameplay: 6.9
Half-Blood Prince’s story follows the novel and movie’s plot closely but gives you enough room to explore and undertake a series of fun side missions along the way. However, Quidditch matches and dueling could have been handled a lot better than what is found in this game. 

Graphics: 8.0
On the graphics front, the game looks amazing on the Xbox 360. Still, there are a few minor issues such as the fact that some backgrounds look a bit flat and some of the facial expressions make certain characters look, well, robotic. The visual effects are stunning, though. 

Sound: 8.5
The soundtrack sounds like it comes straight out of the movies and it never repeats itself. While some of the voices do a great job of sounding like the actors in the movie (great John Cleese impression, by the way), some of the voices are a miss.

Difficulty: Medium
The earlier missions aren’t that difficult but things get more difficult later in the game to the point that even older gamers will finds themselves pleasantly challenged. The more advanced potions are harder to make so you will see the Try Again screen often.

Concept: 7.0
Based on one of the more surprising and dark Harry Potter books and the upcoming summer film, Half-Blood Prince has a great story. On top of that, fans will love exploring every area in Hogwarts including the Grand Staircase and Harry’s dorm in Gryffindor. It’s just too bad that there aren’t more after-class activities.

Multiplayer: 5.0
You can duel against a friend as any of the available character including Ginny but the novelty wears off fairly quickly.

Overall: 6.9
Certainly a more enjoyable Potter game than last year’s Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince for the Xbox 360 still doesn’t quite manage to be a great Harry Potter game. There are fun moments worth playing through and loyal Potter fans will love running through Hogwarts but this one still lacks that touch of magic that makes this series so special.