All the looks of the film

Order of the Phoenix is graphically capable. There are only three graphics settings: Performance, Balanced, and Quality. At the highest setting - Quality - textures are sharp and character models are well done and resemble their film counterparts, at least up close; models lose detail in both texture and polygon count at even moderate distances. The soft shadows and world lighting add to the atmosphere, and each spell has a unique effect. Odd, though, was the dearth of resolution options. Aside from the lowly 640x480, common PC resolutions such as 1024x768 and 1280x1024 are omitted. In their place are four common widescreen HDTV resolutions such as 1280x768. Can't the PC get a little love with an Xbox 360-to-PC port? To the game's credit, even the lowest graphics settings offer an acceptable level of detail and realism.

The lighting effects and shadows are well-done.

Casting spells with the gesture-based system is the primary control mechanism.

With regards to controls, the game fails in a big way. First, controls aren't customizable; you're stuck with the keybindings that the developers give you. There are two layouts available for keyboard/mouse players, and both provide the same level of unplayability. While the mouse is intuitively used for “drawing” gestures with the wand, the keyboard bindings are difficult to use. Switching between the 'WASD' keys for movement and the arrow keys for casting spells is beyond awkward. Following an all-too-common contemporary trend, the playability increased as soon as I plugged in an Xbox 360 controller. With the dual analog controller, both movement and the combat system are accessible. Even with the 360 controller, there's only one profile and no button mapping. Again: how 'bout some love for PC gamers, EA?

Every good protagonist has a foil.

Talking paintings and moving staircases. Hogwarts at its finest.

Alan Rickman: a great actor, even in a video game.

... as will my patience.

My one-line summary of the demo: a good-looking but limited sandbox game with a gesture-based combat system. There's nothing innovative here, but the gameplay is capable and the story is sure to excite Potter fans. The erratic camera, unconfigurable controls and strange resolution choices all scream "movie tie-in". By now, J.K. Rowling could bind 800 blank pages together, slap the name Harry Potter on the cover and watch the dough roll in. After all, it's rumored that she heats her mansions by burning bank notes. I expected a token game in name only, and was surprised to find some gameplay in the demo. Granted, what's there isn't deep and the controls are quirky, but I didn't exit out before the 10-minute timeout. Coming from a non-Harry Potter fan, that's high praise indeed.