Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sequel to LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (8.5/10) finds itself in an awkward situation, having the harsh task of following up on adaptations of Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean released earlier this year. Thankfully, Travellers Tales have still managed to retain much of the charm of the original in this one, successfully recapturing the dark tone of Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows despite a distinct familiarity overshadowing the whole experience. The solid gameplay of the LEGO franchise remains wholly intact, dependant on the 'Force'-style Wingardium Leviosa spell to move blocks into place and to solve puzzles. Sadly, though, this reliance on a single play technique makes most missions of the eight to ten hour campaign feel pretty repetitive, even if there's some kind of unique innovation in each of the twenty four levels to keep players interested (broomstick flights and wand duels being the most notable examples). Adding to the sense of there being lack of innovation present is the Hogwarts overworld, which looks damn near identical to Years 1-4 and still requires you to romp through it on countless occassions- perhaps the worst offence on TT Games' part is that it doesn't look wrecked at all in the midst of the final battle, just littered with duelling wizards and Death Eaters. If you can look past this overall shortcoming, then it's easy to see this as just being another fun romp for the Boy Who Lived, but when we've had so many other great titles this Autumn that are have been all but perfect video gaming experiences, it's pretty difficult to do that. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 retains the wit, humour and fun factor of TT's previous efforts, however I can't help but think that if the developer doesn't do something to surprise us with its next adaptation, it'll lose the strength and loyalty of its fanbase completely.
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