Common Sense Media Review
By Erik Lande , based on child development research. How do we rate?
First Potter video game is a high-flying romp.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
What's It About?
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE is a fun video game that is based on the book and movie, but can also stand alone in its own right. You explore Hogwarts, finding secret rooms and prizes while interacting with characters from the story. There is also a series of missions, such as learning spells, collecting items like fire seeds for Hagrid the giant, and outrunning the Ogre and saving Hermione. The game also allows you to play Quidditch, a ball game played on broomsticks.
Is It Any Good?
The game is quite enjoyable, especially for younger children as it doesn't require high levels of coordination to play. It may be easy for older players, but they often can be held by the joy of exploring Hogwarts. The game offers a wide variety of missions, so it is likely there will be something for everyone.
This is a fantasy game about a boy at a wizard's school, but it doesn't appear to advocate negative views of religion, and in general the story provides good role modeling of courage and ingenuity while addressing the realities of bullies and some other issues children face.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Harry Potter series. Does this game stay true to the book? Is it how you had imagined this world would look? Do you like the books, movies or video games best? How do you think the game handles the issue of being bullied? If your family was sorted into houses, who would be where?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 2 , Xbox
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Release date: September 25, 2003
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- ESRB rating: E
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
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