As always, the latest Harry Potter spin-off is slated to appear on every active gaming format on the planet. This time, though, its all about the Wii.
Developed primarily for Nintendos gaming gizmo as part of the blitzkrieg of merchandise heralding the release of the new movie and ported across to other consoles that utilise more traditional controls to weave magic Half-Blood Prince delivers some of the best Wii gesture-based action to date, with players using intuitive poses such as crossed arms, swings from the hip and shaking of the Wii Remote to cast spells, mix potions and steer a broomstick through furious Quidditch matches.
Motion-controls aside, the main meat of the game on all formats where players explore a virtual Hogwarts that closely mirrors the flicks is a vast improvement over previous editions, with greater freedom to roam and a wider variety of spontaneous magic battles that keep the action moving at a brisk pace.
At its heart, Half-Blood Prince is a kids game and older gamers will despise its simple challenges and familiar set-pieces. But for the fresh-faced Potter hardcore, this is the series finest console showing to date.