Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 action-adventure game published by Electronic Arts and developed by both EA's internal development team and Eurocom for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance systems. It was simultaneously co-developed by Amaze Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, macOS and the Game Boy Color systems. An original version was also created for the PlayStation by Argonaut Games. This was also the last game released for the Game Boy Color in North America.

This game was the last Harry Potter game to be released on PlayStation.

Gameplay
The game's core gameplay is simple. Taking control of Harry Potter, the player explores Hogwarts castle and grounds. Throughout the course of the game, the player will encounter events that tie into the storyline of the second Harry Potter book.

Filling the gaps between these events are various classes, where the player will learn how to fly a broomstick and learn new spells for combating bosses, among other things. Each new spell is accompanied by a challenge, which the player must get through in a certain amount of time to complete that class period. During the later parts of the game, the player will face challenges which are not time-limited and are not related to learning spells. These challenges are all based on events from the book, for example travelling into the Forbidden Forest and gathering ingredients for a potion Hermione is making.

Story
As a young wizard-in-training, Harry Potter can't wait to leave the non-magical world behind and return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year. But during the summer holidays, a most peculiar visitor appears in Harry's bedroom with a dire warning—disaster will strike if Harry returns to Hogwarts!

As the new term starts, the grave prediction he was warned about seems to be coming true. Strange and terrible events occur—and Harry always seems to be nearby. Panic reigns, but nobody knows who—or what—is to blame.

With the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, it's up to Harry to solve the mystery and clear his name, before another victim is claimed and Hogwarts is shut down for good!

Versions
The PlayStation version of the game is entirely different from the other console versions. The game was developed by Argonaut Games exclusively for the ageing console. Firmly aimed at younger gamers, it is mostly made up of a series of mini-games that the player can play when not attending classes.

There are also slight differences between the three other console versions of the game. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game allow the player to access a broom and enter free-flight mode. While the PlayStation 2 version allows the player to land anywhere they want, in the Xbox version the landing zones are limited. In the GameCube version, there is an exclusive feature involving GameCube-to-Game Boy Advance connectivity that allows a secret room to be opened in the GameCube version when connected with the Game Boy Advance version of the game. The Xbox version also offers exclusive features such as special challenges with scores to beat; also, the graphics on the Xbox version of the game are slightly more refined than that of its counterparts. The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions were shorter than all of the other versions (unless doing connectivity in the GameCube version), it does not follow the events of the book closely at all, all the spell challenges are very short and many characters are cut including Dobby, Peeves and Professor Sprout. There was also a shortage of quests since collecting ingredients for the polyjuice potion was cut out, and unlike the PC version you cannot do duelling whenever you want.

The PC & Mac versions of the game, which was developed by a different developer than the console versions, features completely different levels and gameplay from the console versions. It also follows the story of the book and film much more closely than the console versions. Unlike all other versions, the player begins at Hogwarts. The game features the same graphics and character design as the Philosopher's Stone (PC).

The Game Boy Color version is a typical role-playing game. However, it lets you play as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Gilderoy Lockhart at various points in the game.

The Game Boy Advance version has the least spells, but follows the events of the book very closely. It is based on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Mac versions. It is mostly made up of mini-quests (unlike other versions, except the Game Boy Color version).

The PC and Mac versions of the game are exactly alike except, in the Mac version, everything often resets and you'll need a USB disk or blank CD to turn on the debug mode.

Awards
The musical score for the game, created by Jeremy Soule, was awarded a BAFTA Award for Best Score, Game Music Category.