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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban pc Game Reviews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Critic Score
Metascore: 67 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.5 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

For the first time gamers will play as friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as well as Harry Potter, switching between characters and utilizing their key attributes and skills to resolve challenges and overcome enemies. The three friends will need to combine their strengths and master a variety of new spells as they face Harry's most terrifying opponents yet: the escaped convict Sirius Black and the Dementors, the sinister guards of Azkaban prison. From the opening scene on the Hogwarts Express to the climatic finale on the shore of the great lake at Hogwarts, the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban videogame will immerse players in the magical world of Harry Potter. Players will unravel the mystery surrounding Sirius Black and his escape from the infamous wizard prison Azkaban, as they take part in the most exciting and challenging Harry Potter videogame adventure yet. Gamers will encounter a host of new characters and creatures, engage in a variety of sub-quests, fly on a Hippogriff, reveal the secrets of the Marauder's Map, and take on their friends in multiple two-player challenges. [Electroinc Arts]

PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
DEVELOPER: Electronic Arts UK
GENRE(S): Action, Adventure
PLAYERS: 2
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2004

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

85
Gamer's Hell
It is easy enough for a kid to master and offers enough depth for adults to enjoy.
Read Full Review
82
Worth Playing
From monster books on the loose, to rascally pixies, to angry ghosts, there’s no shortage of content. On this point alone, I could recommend the game.
Read Full Review
80
Computer Games Magazine
The design throughout is superb, a model of how to drag the player through the game without making it feel like, well, like it's dragging players through the game. [Sept 2004, p.74]
80
AceGamez
Adds real depth to familiar characters and locations. Gamers not used to the Hogwarts world may still be impressed by the novel approach to the gameplay, the magical graphics and the well-balanced learning curve.
Read Full Review
80
Times Online
Assorted reference devices, including the handy Marauder’s Map as well as shields and character cards to collect, add a little more depth to the action. The game remains faithful to the spirit of the book, but it is perhaps a little too linear and predictable.
Read Full Review
72
PC Gamer
While Prisoner of Azkaban lacks the all-ages appeal of the books and movies, its colorful graphics and not-too-challenging gameplay should certainly do a good job of keeping young kids entertained. [July 2004, p.58]
70
Quandary
I thought sometimes, though, that being the same made it a bit tedious. Getting to play three people (and a bunny) helped make it interesting, and made it more like the books, where Harry often needs his friends' help.
Read Full Review
70
GameSpot
Exceptionally easy and surprisingly brief, but while it lasts, it's a fun romp for its target audience through Prisoner of Azkaban's twisty storyline.
Read Full Review
70
Yahoo! Games
The combat difficulty level is forgiving, and the game guides you through the puzzles with helpful clues and hints from the other characters. Less experienced gamers -- who, let's face it, are really the ones the game is aimed at -- will find its light touch very rewarding.
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68
WHAM! Gaming
Fans of the books and films will enjoy the chance to explore the Hogwarts grounds and do things like ride Buckbeak the hippogriff and collect all of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, but there's not a lot in this game to appeal to your average Muggle.
Read Full Review
67
Gaming Age
For folks who haven’t endured the phenomenon of HP, you’ll need to start from the beginning before picking this one up.
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65
GameZone
Harry’s third PC outing falls short with simplistic easy gameplay and won’t hold fans’ attention for too long.
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63
PC Format
A bit like Paul Daniels, its magic is only really going to work on the kids. [Aug 2004, p.86]
60
Computer Gaming World
For casual gamers and casual Harry Potter fans - diehards may be let down. [Nov 2004, p.82]
60
IGN
The fact that the game actually requires you to backtrack through certain areas to collect all the cards and beans you can find merely indicates that the developers hoped to prolong the experience of playing without necessarily have to worry about adding new content.
Read Full Review
60
Play.tm
It ticks a number of very basic and previously-defined boxes with unbending efficiency, throwing in a few commendable moments of surprising fun, drenched in the usual superficial fineries (the visuals, recognisable characters, plotlines, set-pieces, et al) with which many an EA game has plied its trade in the past.
Read Full Review
60
eToychest
Though the game is quite repetitive at times and the story is nearly nonexistent, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still a refreshingly fun game for both children and adults.
Read Full Review
50
GameShark
Despite all of these somewhat questionable design issues, the title does deliver a rather enjoyable hop n’ bop experience that can easily burn a few hours without demanding too much investment of cerebral activity.
Read Full Review
49
ActionTrip
With very little effort Harry Potter the Prisoner of Azkaban can be finished in a single evening which indeed stands out as a serious drawback. Once you complete it, chances are slim that you'll want to try the whole thing again.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Megan M. gave it a10:
This game was wicked!Totally brilliant! I'm actually on the last day right now... i dont want the game to end! so much fun though! I still need to find 4 dragon wizard cards before i find them all!

Charlie W. gave it an8:
Jeez! It's not that bad. Yes, it is annoying that it is so simple to beat the core of the game, but there is a lot to be said for trying to beat all of the mini-games and finding all the wizard cards. Although, without those side-quests, the game would be pretty terrible.

[Anonymous] gave it a 1:
I had problems getting my microsoft joystick to work with this game (on PC). So I contacted eagames help. They told me that it is simply not compatable with game controllers on PCs. A bit pathetic I think. Particularly after the problems before with XP incompatability with Philosopher's Stone and given the clear profits to be made with the Harry Potter games franchise, I think it's about time EAgames got their act together.

John S. gave it a 10:
Totally brilliant!!! If you have enjoyed playong the other two games get this one now!!!!!

[Anonymous] gave it a 2:
I found that I could give it only two points: one for graphics; and one for sounds & music. Where did the rest go, you might ask ? Well, that should have been gameplay...

Matt M. gave it a 3:
In COS it was fairly indepth and accuate. This game was so simple I could sit down and beat it in an evening.

[Anonymous] gave it an 8:
Great !

Read more user comments...

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