Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [PS3]

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The video game adaptation of the latest in the Harry Potter movie series brings the young wizard, his entourage of friends, foes and hangers-on, and the entirety of his magic school, Hogwarts, to your PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

EA's greatest achievement with Phoenix is in how well it captures the Potter films. Whatever your thoughts on the wisdom of turning movies into video games (and there have been some real stinkers), few manage to capture the atmosphere of their celluloid counterparts this well. Part of this is down to the way it uses the actors' real likenesses, and many of their real voices. But most of the acclaim is due to its outstanding set, which encompasses the whole of Hogwarts, from towers to dungeons to grounds, and lets you stroll round it at will.

Considering the size of the map, this is no mean feat. The fixed camera usually does a good job of presenting you with both a view of Harry and his chums (Hermione and Ron accompany you almost continually) and your surroundings, regardless of whether that's a tight, winding stairway or a broad vista of the whole castle.

Ironically, the game's enormous setting proves as much of a handicap as a strength. Yes, it's great to walk the corridors and viaducts of Hogwarts' impressive construction, and fans in particular will enjoy the opportunity. But that means, you know, you actually have to trudge round the damn place all the time. After a while, all those corridors start to look the same, and some of them are awfully long. Combined with the way that many of the game's quests send you ping-ponging from one end of the map to the other, more casual fans of Potter may get fed up with all the legwork before the credits roll.

On your travels, you'll encounter many characters and locations that'll be familiar to any casual Potter-fan. Teachers like Snape, McGonagall and Hagrid all appear, as do the series' assorted ghosts, villainous schoolchildren and bit-part players. Amid all the usual saving-the-world nonsense, Harry even gets a chance for a quick liaison with his love interest, Cho, and to play a few fairly inconsequential minigames.