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Each Harry Potter game plays to the format's strengths and has different elements in the gameplay; the Mac version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is no different. It follows the junior wizard's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the focus is on the puzzle aspects of the game. The action begins in Diagon alley with our hero purchasing the supplies he needs to attend school; from then on it follows the story line in the book pretty faithfully. Each level of the game concentrates on a different aspect of the story: attending classes (such as charms, herbology, defence against the dark arts, potions with the evil Snape); visiting Hagrid; having to collect Bertie Botts beans so that Fred & George Weasley will give you wizard's cards, which you need to beat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; win points for your house and, of course, learn and play Quidditch. The graphics look pretty good, but the real winner is the sound: the music is just perfect and the eerie sound effects make you believe that you really are at Hogwarts School. The only criticism is that the game is very short and even younger kids will complete it relatively quickly. If you are a Harry P fan then you won't be disappointed, if you are looking for a challenging action-adventure game then you might want to look elsewhere.--Jenny Fisher
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