Canadian Gift Guide

I am a self-proclaimed Harry Potter nerd. I believe I’ve seen every film on opening night, and I actually faked a sick day and left work early when the sixth book came in (I missed the preorder deadline by mere hours, and was punished by receiving my book five days after the release).

With the last two movies on the horizon, it makes me a little sad that Pottermania will be over sooner rather than later (although there is that encyclopedia JK Rowling has hinted about). Until then however, there is the new Harry Potter Lego game to keep me and other Potterheads entertained and happy.

The Lego series of video games has done quite well – they soften the harsh blows of the video game world by making games more about exploring than ‘winning’. After tackling everything from Star Wars to Indiana Jones, Harry Potter is a welcome, and well-reviewed addition to the collection. The game is available on all major platforms, and from the reviews I’ve read, it sounds fantastic.

The game covers the first four books in one fell swoop – a welcome change from the tiresome and repetitive games out there that are built for every expansion of the movie franchise. It also opens things up to cover the last three books in a sequel. Basically you play different as different incarnations of Harry Potter characters (in Lego form), cast spells, collect gems, and unlock new characters.

I’m not a huge video gamer, don’t get me wrong. My ‘additions’ to my joint collection with the boyfriend include Viva Pinata (which is also great, I’ll talk about that another day though) and Wall-e (frustrating at times). That’s what makes a game like Lego Harry Potter so appealing. Even non-gamers will enjoy the opportunity to explore the world they hold so dearly at their leisure.

Note that Harry Potter is like the holy grail of gift giving. If someone is a fan, chances are they’re a BIG fan – I’m pretty sure all my equally-obsessed friends have at least one piece of Potter merchandise kicking around. It’s incredibly rare to find a gift ‘theme’ that crosscuts gender, age, and occasion, but Harry Potter is up there. I myself am requesting this game for my annual, tongue-in-cheek-and-not-always-celebrated ‘Christmas in July’ with my boyfriend.

The game is available just about everywhere you can buy video games – Best Buy, Future Shop, HMV, Amazon, eBay, and beyond. It retails for around $50-$60 which makes it a great birthday gift for the Potterhead in your life (hint). Can I point out that Potterhead is a way better moniker than Twihards?