As the fourth chapter of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and recent theatrical blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire finds young Harry not only struggling with the awkwardness of a boy’s pre-teen years but also being the only student at Hogwarts that is chosen to represent the school of wizardry in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. Having been released on most major consoles, Goblet of Fire is now available for the PSP and it’s not bad at all.

As the game begins, it introduces an important element of both the books and films: Thomas Riddle. It is this name that pops up again later in the story and, as Harry knows, is certainly connected to his parents killer and the wizard whose name should not be spoken out loud, Lord Voldemort. If that wasn’t enough, Harry is picked to represent Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament that will test his spell-casting skills as well as his ability to use a broom (for flying, of course, not sweeping). He is, once again, joined by his closest friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger during the first half of the game because in the tournament Harry is on his own.

You start the game off by picking from the three characters and while they’re not incredibly different from each another they do possess personalized spells. All three have a great mastery of Charm and Jinx spells but as you upgrade each character’s spell-casting skills their other abilities to perform the same skills better come into play. You can always alternate between different characters after each level is through so if you want to upgrade Ron, Hermione or Harry’s spells you can switch between them in the beginning of each level. No matter who you pick, though, the other two characters follow close behind and offer their assistance. The game’s first level has Harry and his friends attending the Quidditch World Cup when all hell breaks loose. It is here that you get a taste of the gameplay.

Unfortunately, the controls are a bit awkward and moving your character takes a little time to get use to but once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to move and cast spells just as smoothly as the console version. You’ll be levitating monsters and smashing them to the ground in which case the multi-colored Every-Flavor Beans will spill out for you to collect. Collecting beans not only helps restore stamina or refill your Magic Meter but you can also use the beans to purchase Collector’s Cards (more on these cards later, though). The game also depends on teamwork, particularly when it comes to the game’s puzzles that require more than one wand. For example, there might be a heavy boulder Harry couldn’t lift on his own using his Wingardium Leviosa levitation spell so, on cue, both Hermione and Ron cast the same spell and you can lift and move the heavy boulder out of the way.

The problem with teamwork when you’re playing by yourself is that very often your two computer-controlled companions don’t take the hint that you need help lifting a boulder or moving some kind of heavy obstruction. Worse yet, sometimes you’ll need a hand jinxing a monster you managed to levitate only to lose Magic or be pummeled by a nearby monster while you were too busy clearing a path. 

The game will even take you back to Hogwarts to meet with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and have you performing a number of tasks but it isn’t until Harry enters the Triwizard Tournament that the focus is solely on young Mister Potter. The tournament has its share of competitors all fighting for their chance to bring pride to their school as well as win the Triwizard Cup. The tournament is broken off into three tasks. The first task has Harry climb up on his broomstick while being pursued by a Hungarian Horntail dragon while the second has the young wizard exploring the Black Lake (where you’ll have to find Ron in the underwater ruins). Finally there’s the enchanted maze where the first one to reach the center will claim the cup itself. These are the game’s most challenging levels and truly the best ones as well.

During the game’s main story mode you can purchase Collector’s Cards that each character has a nice number of and used to upgrade spell-casting skills for each character. There are even three mini-games, the first one being a Monster Card game much like the memory game where you have to flip a card and find the same one within the lot. Then there’s Nifler Time Attack where you have to navigate a Nifler creature around a series of checkpoints before the time runs out. Finally, there’s Dugbog Bulb Raid where the object of the game is to protect the helpless Dugbog creatures from scavenger monsters intent on plucking them and carrying them away.

As for the game’s graphics, Goblet of Fire is not a bad-looking handheld game at all. It sports some sharp textures and the environments are nicely detailed. The character models could have used some of the same detail but they look good nonetheless and even more so when they’re performing spells. Spells and other visual effects are dazzling thanks to some good particle effects. There are no snippets from the movies but the subtitles feature images of the actors that portray them in the movie.

The game’s sound is actually handled excellently on the PSP, making this a game you’ll want to play with the volume up or using the earphones. The score, for starts, is faithful to the recent movie and it plays throughout the game as well as the main menu. A great score isn’t the only thing you’ll hear in this game. There’s voice acting in this game from its narrator to the solid performances for each familiar character. Everyone sounds the way they should so expect to hear Ron’s voice to squeak when he’s frightened or the determination in Hermione’s voice. The sound effects are well detailed as well.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the PSP is actually a very enjoyable game despite its few weak spots here and there. Its control problems really don’t take away from a game that faithfully recounts the events from the book and movie and its dark tone just makes this an exciting and intense chapter of the Harry Potter saga. For young gamers looking for a portable Potter fix, buying this one might not be such a bad idea.

Gameplay: 7.0
The three different characters add their own skill abilities so you can switch them throughout the game to upgrade their spell-casting abilities. The Triwizard Tournament levels will put a smile on any Harry Potter fan’s face and there are a few mini games here. Unfortunately, the controls can be a bit awkward and your AI controlled allies are slow to respond.

Graphics: 8.2
Sharp, colorful and nicely detailed, Goblet of Fire looks fantastic on the PSP. Very close to the console version, it shows off some neat visual effects and somewhat decent character models. Really, the only thing wrong is the camera that pulls back a bit too far.

Sound: 8.2
The game makes good use of the film’s score and it works beautifully during cutscenes as well as during the game’s action. There’s some voice acting and the characters sound just they way you’d expect them to sound. As for the game’s sound effects, they’re just as detailed as the game’s graphics. A nice job, really.

Difficulty: Medium
The biggest challenges you’ll face in this game besides the Hungarian Horntail dragon are the awkward controls that will mess with your aim on occasion. Worse yet is that your friends won’t respond as quickly when you want them to perform a task that requires more than one character. There are some nicely challenging puzzles in the game that might frustrate the youngest Potter fans.

Concept: 8.5
The game wonderfully brings a huge chunk of the console version in one UMD and it’s faithful to the movie as well. Harry, Ron and Hermione have a nice number of unique spells and there’s a nice collection of Collector’s Cards to unlock. The multiplayer game is excellent fun for up to three players.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Playing the game cooperatively with two other friends will definitely make up for the poor AI and there are fun mini games to play as well with Nifler Time Attack being the best. The game even features Game Sharing for friends who don’t own a copy of the game.

Overall: 7.8
When all is said and done, Goblet of Fire for the PSP might not be a great Harry Potter game but it’s a worthwhile game to own if you’re a hardcore fan of the books and movies. A few problems aside, the game does possess a number of really fun levels and the mini-games are actually downright enjoyable. Pick this one up for the Potter fan young or old.