On July 13 (a Friday, coincidentally), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix explodes into theaters across the U.S. At the same time, Electronic Arts hopes to cash in on the wizard craze with its upcoming video game of the same name. Developed by EA UK, this latest adventure stands apart from its predecessors, delivering a more immersive experience. The buggy piece of alpha code we received shows tremendous potential, making it the latest candidate for Best... Movie Game... Ever.

Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) has the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous school ever conceived. Its students frequently suffer terribly, from being kidnapped to nearly eaten by a giant snake. This year proves no different, as Harry, in trouble for casting magic in the presence of a Muggle (a human without magic powers), struggles to convince people that his arch nemesis, Lord Voldemort, has returned. At the same time, the new Defense Against the Dark arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge, leaves her students ill equipped to battle the evil forces lurking within the school's walls. Harry, Hermione and Ron once again take matters into their own hands, teaching their fellow students how to defend themselves and forming a small band of powerful wizards in training called Dumbledore's Army.

Instead of sectioning the game off into levels, developer EA UK used movie sets and other resources to reconstruct Hogwarts, creating a sandbox environment in which players explore the school, interacting with students, searching for hidden goodies and completing a series of missions. However, it doesn't appear to offer as much freedom as a typical Grand Theft Auto. Gamers wander around, but they complete only one quest at a time, using a Marauder's Map (accessed by pressing Select) to view current objectives and view the next location. In the first mission, for example, Harry must find Hermione, but in order to do this, he needs to climb to the seventh floor of the Grand Staircase and offer the password to the painting of the fat lady.

Initially, EA restricts players to the courtyard and the Grand Staircase, most likely to keep them from getting lost. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall guard the other passageways, suggesting that gamers look elsewhere.

Both sections show exquisite detail. In the courtyard, leaves dance in the breeze, children walk about and a magic brook sweeps the ground. Inside, the Grand Staircase sports moving parts and hundreds of paintings, some of which talk.

As for the play mechanics, gamers maneuver Harry with the left analog stick, and in an interesting twist, use the right stick to control his wand, and tilting it in order to cast spells. A tutorial explains the basics, tasking players to put broken dishes back together, rearrange furniture and pack Ron's suitcase. Despite the inability (and disappointment) to maneuver the camera (often assigned to the right analog stick), the spell casting works surprisingly well, offering responsive control and great feeling of accomplishment.

It still needs a lot of work, since the game moves slowly and the visuals sport many jagged edges. Thus far, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix provides a more fulfilling experience than most movie-based video games. Look for a review as soon as EA releases it.

Related Links

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Game Guide