Spend time with Harry Potter in his final adventure

Can't wait until July 15 to see what happens in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Pick up the video game of the same name for a sneak peak at the film's story, characters and locations – and you get to play as the star, too. 

Without revealing any of the plot elements, Electronic Arts' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince whisks gamers away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to help Harry survive his sixth year at the academy. It's a darker tale than previous ones, beginning with Harry's bleach-blond nemesis Draco Malfoy kicking the boy wonder while on the floor of Hogwarts Express, after finding him eavesdropping under his invisibility cloak.

Potter fans who want to feel like they're part of this magical world will no doubt enjoy training at Gryffindor Duelling Club, engaging in intense battles with malevolent Death Eaters, mastering the mixing of magical ingredients in Potions class and flying the not-so-friendly skies in epic Quidditch matches. All in a day's work for an adolescent wizard.

Played from a cinematic third-person perspective, you can even venture out at night and take on secret missions while the castle sleeps, visit new areas – including the creepy seaside Horcrux Cave and The Burrow (the family home of the Weasley family) – and collect 150 well-hidden Hogwarts crests peppered throughout the academy.

In the end, though, the fun you have depends on what you're looking for in a Harry Potter game. Despite some finicky control issues – especially with the Nintendo Wii version, which lacks accuracy as you wave the Wii Remote like a wand in the air to cast spells using motion control – the game does deliver on the breadth of activities you can partake in at Hogwarts. But the lack of depth and cohesion makes these exercises feel more like minigames loosely strung together than a part of a narrative story arc.

This might be fine for younger players, arguably the target audience, but those looking for a unified game experience that builds on J.K. Rowling's fantasy fiction might be disappointed.

More so than in past games, Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's Half-Blood Prince features characters who resemble their real-life counterparts (thanks to motion- and facial-capture technologies). This is especially true for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game. The lip-synching is off, though, as are some of the sound-alike voices, which affect your ability to suspend disbelief.

Shortcomings aside, this interactive adventure – a game based on a movie based on a book – succeeds in letting you explore the massive campus, interacting with familiar characters and playing an assortment of game types.

Consider Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a solid "B" title that, at the very least, is worthy of a weekend rental.

Check out this trailer to the game:

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