A pint of the usual Potter but with an EyeToy top

Prisoner Of Azkaban shows just what EA can do when its highly polished franchise dispenser is firing on all cylinders. Slick we expected, but inventive? What kind of witchcraft is this?

For a start, Harry, Hermione and Ron are now switchable, playable characters, each with a unique skill. The puzzles that result of this three-way dynamic are surprisingly satisfying and blend with the intuitive spell-casting to create fertile ground for magic-flavoured exploration. You roam the corridors of Hogwarts between tasks. You collect items and cards You sneak-'em-up for 'a spell'. You defeat a boss. You fly your owl, a Hippogriff. You know you're playing a kids' game but you really start to enjoy yourself, won over by a convincing game world and unmolested by the patronising tone that cripples most junior adventures.

If this were Azkaban's lot we'd be well pleased as it is. But EA has also conjured up a bonus quintet of EyeToy 'After School Games' which will send up to four Potter fans at a time into paroxysms of delight. Being 'in' the HP world gives the likes of De-Gnoming and Seeker Practice a definite cachet, and as for the chance to be selected for a Hogwarts house by the Sorting Hat... Somebody you know is going to go loco over that. But then that's a reaction they're likely to have for the whole game - this is, after all, the best Potter game yet.

Graphics 80%
EA slick with a dark tone.

Sound 80%
Great score and most of the cast's voices.

Gameplay 70%
Lively free roaming and puzzling.

Lifespan 70%
Start collecting and it's hard to stop.

Overall 70%
Essential for Potter fans but recommended for all but the most cynical gamers. Absorbing, inventive and EyeToy mini-games!