If you think that LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 is going to be the same game as Years 1-4, think again.  The premise, as with any LEGO game, is identical, but this time around Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment made sure the newest LEGO game was different from its predecessor.

The basic game is the same: collect studs, explore areas, play through the storylines.  Similar to the first Harry Potter game, you have lessons for learning certain spells.  Some of these lessons are learned in a classroom setting, while others are learned playing the game in the Hogwarts and Hogsmead areas.  While the game has twenty-four levels (six per movie), there is a lot more gaming going on than just within the levels.  LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 adds some very new, and very exciting, elements. 

So many areas felt like a level but were not, it makes LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 last a lot longer.  This time around, you don’t just have a cut-scene to explain parts of the game and then play a small level to move on. Here, you actually play more of the scenes to get to the next level, and these side-levels can be just as frustrating as the actual levels if you are stuck.  

Unfortunately, since LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 starts with Order of the Phoenix, you deal with Dolores Umbridge; she takes away almost all of the spells you knew by the end of Years 1-4.  So, you must make it past the first movie to gain them back.  In one way, it makes sense because otherwise, you would breeze through the game, but on the other hand, boy do you want to scream knowing that you could use Reducto to blow that shining lock apart and get what was behind it by the end of the last game.

Like always, Years 5-7 gives you clues about several objectives. Sometimes this is annoying and at others quite helpful, it just depends on if you’ve done it already or not.  New features include Weasley Wizard Boxes, Spectrospecs, Hermione’s Bag, and Mr. Weasley fixing items.  The Weasley Boxes can only be used by a member of the Weasley family, but you don’t have access to them until the end of the first year when you actually get to play as Fred and George to torment Umbridge.  Luna gives you the Spectrospecs at the beginning of the second movie.  They allow you to see hidden objects that must be built to use.  Hermione’s Bag is just as it was in the movie; a bag that can hold anything.  All you have to do is stand on a pink platform and choose the bag, Hermione will pull out various objects until the one you need is removed.  Mr. Weasley tinkering with Muggle objects was a neat addition; if it has a blue LEGO spot on it and looks broken, he is the one to fix it.

There are some levels in LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7, or parts of levels, where you don’t play as Harry, Ron, or Hermione at all.  One level, besides that of Fred and George, has you take on the likes of Tonks, Lupin, Molly, and Arthur, and it made for a nice change of pace.  Animals are still a big part of the game, and while Hermione still has Crookshanks, Ron no longer has Scabbers.  Fear not though, TT Games did include Ron’s diminutive owl, Pigwidgeon from the book.  Also, once Fred and George leave Hogwarts, the store where you can purchase extra magic spells becomes Weasley Wizards Wheezes.

Students in Peril and Gold Bricks are back but this time around they can be found anywhere, including out in the open with nothing very special needed to be done to earn them.  Red Boxes still exist, but some are already in your owlery when the game starts.  One of these is very handy called "Advanced Guide", which will have stats over the ghost's head.  The best part of this feature I found was showing you how many unlockable characters you had and which were available in each area you visit.  

There is also dueling in LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7.  You will jump into a ring against a foe, and you must hit them with the correct spell to defeat them.  There are four spells for each duel and they change randomly. Despite the fact that the latter books and movies are darker, the game keeps a sense of humor; the family-friendly theme is intact, as some deaths are brief and barely shown.  

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 is definitely for any Harry Potter fan as well as LEGO gaming fans.  There are enough changes, however,  that fans of the first will not feel like it’s the same game rehashed for the final three films.

GameDynamo's Score for LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Wii)

	Score	Description
Graphics	90	The characters look great, even if they are mostly squared. The cut-scenes are awesome as always.
Sound	85	The music is not overbearing, and many times it is the same as the movies. Some of the character noises are annoying, however, if you are checking out an area and not completing the objective right away.
Gameplay	90	With additions like the Spectrespecs, Mr. Weasley fixing items, and Hermione's Bag, there are lots of new things to try.
Play Value	85	Harry Potter fans will especially like the game, LEGO fans may not be as excited, but it's got new offerings to make it enjoyable.
Final Score	85	Mostly the same old, same old, but with a few twists to make you come back for more.

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