Have your wands at the ready as the latest Harry Potter game, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will soon be flying in stores near you. I had the opportunity to try out some of the game’s highlights at EA’s recent Studio Showcase in Redwood City. The game will be available on all consoles including the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS but our hands-on time was with the Wii version.

The game is, of course, based off the upcoming film (more so than the book). He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is stronger than ever, preparing to unleash his fury on wizards and muggles alike. Professor Dumbledore teams up with Harry on a mission to dig deep into You-Know-Who’s past, hoping to find the key to the dark wizard’s destruction. And as if Harry doesn’t have enough on his mind, lately he finds his thoughts straying to a certain best friend’s sister.

According to Executive Producer Jonathan Bunney, HBP is more faithful to the film than past Harry Potter video games, even incorporating funny scenarios that don’t necessarily advance the plot. For example, in the film Ron accidentally takes a love potion and starts behaving oddly. In the game, Ron also ingests a love potion and starts acting like a Lothario towards many of Hogwarts’ female students.

HBP marks the return of Quidditch, last seen in 2003 with Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. Controlling Harry on his trusty broom, my Quidditch play consisted of flying through star-shaped hoops to catch the ever-elusive Golden Snitch. I wasn’t too impressed since I was hoping for a more fleshed-out version of Quidditch rather than just an obstacle course in the air. Granted, I only got to play a few minute’s worth, so hopefully there’s more to Quidditch than this.

A cool and unique new feature in HBP is the ability to create potions. The Wii version of the game adds an extra layer of immersive fun since you act out the motions with the Wiimote, a la Cooking Mama. Choose the right ingredients and mix them in your cauldron within the allotted time. For example, for liquids, aim the cursor over the correct container, click the A button to pick it up, and then pour the liquid in the cauldron by making a pouring motion with the Wiimote. The Wiimote buzzes to alert you that you’ve put in the right amount, but if you make a mistake your cauldron starts to smoke. Fortunately you can fan out the smoke by waving the Wiimote and Nunchuck about.