Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator website Metacritic. GameSpot were positive about the game, scoring 7/10 or above across releases, with a high of 7.5 out of 10 for the GBA version. Frank Provo of GameSpot was very positive about the GBA game's recreation of the novel; saying "The main thing to keep in mind is that Prisoner of Azkaban on the GBA offers a fun way for Harry Potter fans to step into the shoes of their favorite wizard-in-training and experience firsthand everything that happened in the third installment of the series." GameZone also reviewed the Game Boy Advance version, calling it "a really fun romp in Harry's world! Fans should be well-pleased." IGN commented on the game not forcing "random battes" from similar RPGs as a positive, but saying that it wasn't "enough to make Prisoner of Azkaban a successful RPG. It's got a solid storyline based on the book and film, and dozens of quests that branch outwards from situations from the film... but the experience is hindered slightly, simply by sloppy implementation of standard gaming elements." Matt Casamassina of IGN reviewed the PS2 version of the game. He gave the game a 6.2 rating out of 10, saying "In some cases, it's prettier than any other "Boy Wizard" game. In some cases, it's smarter. As a long-time Potter fan who has read all of the books and watched every movie, I've always been particularly interested in this chapter of the franchise. And this game does deliver a good amount of compelling story and play. I especially enjoyed the multi-character-based puzzles and the new spells that Harry, Ron and Hermione can cast, all of them useful for different reasons." However, Casamassina also called the game "Sloppy", and criticised the somewhat unpredictable framerate, before concluding "Potter fans who can deal with the drawbacks will find an entertaining experience hiding. But everyone else should steer clear of this game." Brad Shoemaker of GameSpot reviewed the PC version, but called it "easy" before saying "One, any player of even marginal skill will finish the game in five to six hours, and two, its puzzles and combat are both remarkably easy. Those facts make Prisoner of Azkaban a great game for younger kids, and it's a lot of fun for less-discriminating older fans of Harry Potter too. The game may be short and easy, but it's also thoughtfully designed and genuinely entertaining, and KnowWonder deserves credit for that." Tim Wapshott of The Times gave the game a score of four stars out of five and stated, "The game remains faithful to the spirit of the book, but it is perhaps a little too linear and predictable. Some scenes do not look quite right – the scale of the characters against the width of the Hogwarts Express clearly do not tally. But these minor disappointments are quickly outweighed by stunning visuals in the later levels. While older teenagers may snub this Harry Potter outing, there's still good mileage in the bespectacled chappie for younger players." During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for "Computer Family Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to Zoo Tycoon 2. By 2004, the game sold 2.5 million units. In the United States, the game sold 1.03 million units by 2006.