The game: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Publisher: Electronic Arts

BEST FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER

Calling all "Harry Potter" fans: Clear off your calendars and grab your wand — I mean your Wii remote controller — because you are about to enter Hogwarts heaven.

The Nintendo Wii version of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" puts the magic of Harry Potter into your hands as you cast your way through this magnificent video game.

There are versions of the game for Sony's PlayStations 2 and 3, the PC and Microsoft's Xbox 360, but it is best played on the Wii. Because casting spells is so much a part of the game play, only with the Wii remote controller in your hand as your wand do you really feel a part of the game.

While each of the past four "Harry Potter" games has been great, this one far exceeds those built-up expectations. It closely follows the story of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" book, and is based on the movie version, which opens in theaters Wednesday.

Most of the time you play as Harry Potter, but occasionally you become the Weasley twins, Sirius Black, and even headmaster Dumbledore when he fights the evil Lord Voldemort. The game cleverly incorporates a series of missions (tasks) into the storyline, which is moved forward at times by video sequences. But this is not a linear game. You are free to explore the castle and grounds of Hogwarts and pick up or change tasks at will.

This is the Hogwarts the previous games made us long for. You will not be able to resist checking out its endless nooks and crannies. The staircases move, you can talk to all students and the portraits all animate. Many of the paintings are even hiding secret passageways if you can discover their passwords. You can run down to Hagrid's cottage, up to the Owlery and everywhere in-between.

The first part of the game is spent finding and helping the 28 students who signed up to take a secret class from Harry about defense against the dark arts. The group, known as Dumbledore's Army, meets in the secret Room of Requirement. Only when you have assembled all 28 members of the DA can you move on in the game. Thereafter, Professor Umbridge takes over and tasks become secretive. You eventually fight Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic.

Tasks may send you searching for the five talking gargoyles in the castle, or fighting a group of Slytherins. Other miniquests involve talking with teachers, the ghosts and the portraits.

This beautiful game is so large that it will take days, if not weeks, to finish. Even when you have reached the end of the story, you may not have completed all the minitasks, so it allows you to keep playing in the Endless Day mode. And you can play it all over again on a harder level.

This is a superb game. It delivers the wish that many share: the ability to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and do magic.