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It's really quite difficult not to be charmed by TT Games's Lego series. The studio's retelling
of classic stories with plastic blocks and almost no dialogue are wonderful examples
of licensed games done right.
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is no different, blending J.K. Rowling's boy wizard with the
Danish building blocks to great effect, and answering a lot of the criticisms of the first
game in the process.
You lead Harry and a huge cast of other unlockable characters on an adventure that takes you
from a playground in Little Whingeing all the way to the climactic battle of good versus
evil in the hallowed grounds of Hogwarts.
Gone are the slide-to-move controls of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, replaced by a far
more intuitive floating D-pad, and a handful of on-screen buttons. You swap between your
arsenal of spells by tapping an icon in the top-right, and between characters by tapping
an icon in the top-left.
Different witches and wizards have different abilities, and if you want to see everything
in the game you'll need to revisit levels once you've unlocked new characters.
The spells you learn let you build Lego constructions, defeat enemies, and reach previously inaccessible
areas. All the time you'll be collecting Lego chits as well, and you'll need to bag them
all to get the best scores.
Wizarding duels see you blasting out offensive spells and building shields to repel your
foe's attacks, and hilarious cut-scenes fill you in on the story. Fans of the films will
lap it up, but those with only a passing interest in Potter will likely find the whole thing
bemusing.
With hundreds of characters to collect, four films worth of story to explore, and an extra
duelling mode that - once you've paid a little bit extra - lets you fight it out against
some famous characters, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 certainly isn't lacking in content.
It isn't lacking in fun, either. It's almost impossible to play without a smile on your
face, and the refined controls mean frustration rarely raises its ugly head. This is entertaining
smartphone gaming at its finest, and while some might find the overall package a little
saccharine there's enough here to keep most engaged for hours.