• ID = PS0360
• STYLE = Action Adventure
• DEV. = EA UK
• PUB. = Electronic Arts
• R-DATE = Oct-27-2003
• ESRB = E / For Everyone
• PLAYERS = 1-2 players
• LIST PRICE = $19.99
  

Take to the air in the first game that allows players to fully experience the magical speed, power, and competition of Quidditch, the favorite sport of witches and wizards, in the Harry Potter:Quidditch World Cup game. For the first time, gamers will experience the full complexity and exciting challenge of Quidditch, which involves two teams of seven players who fly on broomsticks, playing four balls simultaneously.

Players will control every position on their team, including three Chasers who try to score with the Quaffle, two Beaters who control the dangerous Bludgers, the Keeper who protects the goal, and the Seeker who chases the elusive Golden Snitch that must be caught to end the match.Starting with any one of the four Hogwarts House teams-including Harry Potter's Gryffindor-players learn Quidditch basics with five original challenges and the Hogwarts House Cup competition.

Once completed, players can enter the international World Cup tournament, choosing from a range of international teams including the USA, Bulgaria featuring Viktor Krum, the hard-hitting Nordics, England, Japan, Germany, France, and Australia. Each national team sports its own Quidditch gear, has a unique stadium environment, and different strengths that lend depth and strategy, especially when two gamers head to head for the first-ever Harry Potter multiplayer competition.

The Quidditch World Cup tournament progresses through a unique ladder system where players must defeat the team ranked above them by a variable amount of points, making the choice of when to go after the Golden Snitch a tactical one-capture it before amassing enough points to advance up the ladder and you may win the match but lose a chance to advance. The first and only way to experience complete Quidditch matches. Climb aboard a flying broomstick and take flight to engage in exciting competition high above the Quidditch pitch. Play as any one of four Hogwarts Houses and numerous characters from the books and films, inc.

• Compete for the Quidditch World Cup in this exciting Harry Potter adventure.
• Play as any 1 of 4 Hogwarts houses and numerous characters from the books.
• Collect Quidditch Cards gained from challenges completed, moves made, and games won.
• Stunning 3D environments and special effects.
• The first Harry Potter 2-player experience; play on PC and all consoles.

It's also more straightforward than you'd think. Much thought has clearly gone into providing a gentle learning curve, and picking up the basics of the game is supremely easy. It's helped, of course, by having familiar faces from the Harry Potter world all along the way, guiding you through what you need to know.

The ultimate aim is to walk away with the prize of the game's title, but first there's the small matter of the Hogwarts' tournament to win. You align yourself with one of the four houses, and seek to win that before you can move on to the international stages. And that promptly gets you into the heart of the action.

The gameplay, as you'd expect, is frantic and exciting, and while it's not going to keep the older gamer occupied for too long, its target audience is clearly going to be in its element. To keep things going that bit longer, you can earn Quidditch cards as you progress. These are rewards given to you along the way, and can unlock fresh elements of the game. With plenty to collect, it's an added feature that helps prolong the game's life span.

Quidditch World Cup is a game with obvious appeal to the many legions of Harry Potter fans. Fortunately for parents the world over, thanks to entertaining gameplay and its faithfulness to the source material, it's not going to disappoint them. -- Simon Brew