Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

In tales of old, the humble broomstick has long been the vehicle of choice for witches and wizards. But it's only since JK Rowling put pen to paper that we now look upon it as a piece of sports equipment. So it seems appropriate that the company behind the FIFA series, EA, should be the ones to bring Quidditch from the page to the videogame screen.

Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup takes its inspiration from the Harry Potter books and its visuals from the two movie adaptations, so this is the most complete, official version of Quidditch that you could ask for. But first, here's a quick Quidditch introduction for those out there who still haven't been cast under Harry Potter's spell.

Quidditch is best described as a mixture of football and basketball, but played on flying broomsticks. Matches take place on (or, more accurately, above) a pitch which can be made of grass, ice, sand or whatever happens to be the local equivalent. A Quidditch team is made up of three types of player. The Chaser is the standard player tasked with catching the ball (the Quaffle) and slamming it into one of the three hoop-shaped goals at each end of the pitch. Beaters are armed with bats to ward off the Bludger, an iron ball which is enchanted to chase any player it comes across. Finally there's the Seeker - arguably the most important player on the team. It's their job to keep an eye out for the Golden Snitch (a small flying ball that, when caught, results in an instant 150 points and usually secures the match).

With so much going on at once, you might think that the gameplay could be confusing. But the computer handles most of the action, leaving you in the role of the Chaser and Beater for most of the time. But if the Golden Snitch is spotted, you're thrust into the role of the Seeker, and must chase the winged walnut's glittery trail until it's in your grasp.

The game isn't called 'World Cup' for nothing, either. After preliminary training matches at your home of Hogwarts, you're free to play for teams from America, Japan, Germany, France and Australia - each with their own unique outfits. Plus you can play against a friend in the two-player mode.

Plus, if you have a Game Boy Advance and a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable, there's even more to do. If you want an extra player to take the role of the Seeker, then just connect a GBA and a friend can play the Snitch chase minigame on their handheld's screen, leaving you free to continue the game and rack up more goals. Plus - the more matches you win, special moves you use and challenges you complete, the more collectible Quidditch Cards you can claim - giving you a big push to see everything the game has to offer. But the sheer fun of computerised Quidditch should be enough to keep you coming back.