Potter, Chamber. Chamber, Potter.

Based on both the best-selling book and the blockbuster movie,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets from EA Games gives Xbox gamers the chance to experience all the magic, mystery, and fun from the young wizard's point of view. Playing as Harry—the most famous student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—you'll journey from the safe confines of the Weasley Burrow to the bustling shops of Diagon Alley, on to Hogwarts itself, and beyond. As you guide Harry through the adventure, you'll participate in challenging Wizard Duels, explore Hogwarts before and after dark, face fearsome foes, and help stalwart friends. Perhaps most exciting of all, you and Harry can take to the skies for a few fast-paced Quidditch matches and lead House Gryffindor to victory!

The world of Harry Potter comes alive with dazzling Xbox graphics and sound. After the game shows you the basics of controlling Harry and you learn how to perform simple maneuvers and spells, it's off to Diagon Alley, the wizard's shopping district, where you'll buy up supplies for the coming school year. Of course, good-hearted Harry misses his train while helping out a friend, so he and Ron "borrow" the Weasley family car—a magic Ford that flies—and head back to school in style. The action kicks into high gear when our young heroes arrive at Hogwarts and promptly crash into the most forbidding tree in the Forbidden Forest, the violent and grumpy Whomping Willow. With a little magic and a lot of luck, you'll free Ron from the Willow's clutches and head off to Gryffindor Tower to rest up for the first day of classes.

Gameplay in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is broken into night and day, as the action in the books often is. During the day, Harry (usually) attends classes alongside his fellow students, practices broom flying and Quidditch, and learns how to become a more powerful wizard. When he's accomplished all his tasks for the day, Harry can wander around Hogwarts to his heart's content before retiring to bed. At night, while other students are sleeping, brave Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione explore Hogwarts and try to solve the mystery of the Chamber. Unfortunately, they have to work fast. Someone is petrifying students, teachers, and even ghosts like Nearly-Headless Nick—and worst of all, the prime suspect is Harry himself.

Controlling Harry couldn't be easier. A map of the four main face keys stays onscreen at all times. Your primary action button is A, and a note next to the A button will tell you whenever you can do something like open a door, pick up an unconscious gnome, or press up against the wall Solid Snake-style. The other three main keys are programmable, so you can assign a particular spell or item to whichever button you want. Some of Harry's more useful spells include flipendo, his most basic offensive spell; lumos, which lights darkened rooms, reveals secret passages, and hurts vampire ghost dogs; and expelliarmus, the disarming spell used often in Wizard Duels.

Flight mode is equally easy to learn, but more tricky to master than simple spellcasting. Your first encounter with yourflying broom will be a simple test the sends you through a series of floating rings. Simple enough…until Madame Hooch makes the hoops shrink, expand, and dance around in circles while timing your progress!And Quidditch isn't the only unique "Potter-ism" you'll find in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. You'll find Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that you can use to buy items from the Weasley twins' black-market magic shop. You can also participate in mini-game contests to break records for gnome -tossing; gnome-dunking, and other gnome-related activities; beat the record, and you'll likely win a Famous Witches & Wizards card for your collection.

Harry Potter's back in an action-packed adventure accessible to all ages that's easy to learn and promises hours of original, magical gameplay. With luck, skill, and some help from his friends, you and Harry just might solve the mystery of the ominous Chamber of Secrets. Just be sure you don't miss the train to Hogwarts!

By Danny Chihdo