One of my favorite games when I was a child was Trivial Pursuit, the old blue version (Genus Edition) with questions I had no business knowing the answer to. Now, I was good at some sports and a lot of science, but most of the questions I didn't know the answers to ... initially. The game was played so much at my house and school that eventually some of the answers stuck in my head. To this day, I still remember the name of the famous German boxer, Max Schmeling. It was this game that ignited my love knowledge, trivia, and gaming in general.
Since that edition, there have been so many different iterations of this game, including different Genus editions and specialty ones that focus on a specific knowledge set. Today, I am going to talk about the World of Harry Potter Ultimate Edition. The game is designed for people ages 8+ (should be 11, as that's when you get accepted to Hogwarts) and retails for $50 (but can be found on Amazon for about $35).
The game play is like other Trivial Pursuit games, but what sets this one apart is the components, mainly the wedge holders. Instead of those dinky little circles that you have to fill, you get some wedge-holders with miniatures of the four houses on them (Gryffindor = Lion, Ravenclaw = Eagle, Hufflepuff = Badger, and Slytherin = Snake). This gives the game a nice table presence, lets people pick the house they are representing or get stuck with (sorry, Hufflepuffs) and reminds me of when you used to scuffle over the token you would be in Monopoly. The six categories in this game are as follows:
1. Slytherin House, Death Eaters, and The Dark Arts
2. Objects & Artifacts
3. Animals, Magical Creatures, and Magical Beings
4. Witches, Wizards, Ghosts, and Muggles
5. Hogwarts, Other Locations, and Transportation
6. Spells, Potions, and Other Magic
The game has 1800 different questions, which is enough to last you through multiple games plays and hours of fun ... unless you're my wife ... local Harry Potter expert. Even playing in teams is not enough to beat her. Some of the potential questions you will encounter are as follows:
1. Of which league is Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lockhart, an honorary member?
2. Hermione uses Lumos Solem to protect Ron from what dangerous plant?
3. Which of Hagrid's pets does he describe as "a bloody coward?"
4. Where do Ron and Harry hide Crabbe and Goyle while they impersonate the two Slytherin?
5. Which Ministry of Magic employee expels Harry after the Dementor attack in the underpass because of his use of underage sorcery?
I knew two of the answers, so I'm not a muggle ... more like a squib. My wife is pure-blood witch or well-read like Hermione. The game is a lot like most trivia games, in that you either know the answers or you don't. If you are playing with someone who is a real Harry Potter fan, then even if you played six against one, they will still wipe the floor with you.
I think it is worth pointing out that all these questions are based on the movies and not the books. There are some cases where that will be moot, but there are some clear differences between the two, so best to explain that before you play to avoid hurt feelings from giving a book answer to a movie question.
Overall, I lost the game (handily), but I still had a great deal of fun playing the game. Is it my favorite Harry Potter game? No, that belongs to another USAopoly title called Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, but if you like trivia related to the boy who lived or want to host a trivia night, this is a solid choice.
See all our Family Game Night articles here.
Copyright 2018 Stuart Dunn Your purchase of the resources mentioned here through Amazon affiliate links benefits the author of this article.
About the Author
.png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)"){kind=logo}
Comments