Despite the fact that the book series has come to an end, there are still two movies left to go, and the Harry Potter saga lives on. And it will continue to do so in pixel form, thanks to the newest installment in the Lego series — Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 — which I got a glimpse of at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March.

Lego Harry Potter is very similar to the other Lego games, including two-player gameplay, collecting studs and gold bricks, solving puzzles, and unlocking characters. However, new to the series — and necessary for a Harry Potter game — are the use of magic, the addition of familiars (pets) and mixing potions. As you play through the game, you’ll learn new spells for your character, just like Harry learned new spells at Hogwarts. There are eight active slots for spells, and you will have many spells to choose from. Your familiars, including Harry’s owl, Hedwig; Ron’s rat, Scabbers; and Hermione’s cat Crookshanks, will help you solve some of the puzzles. Potions in Lego Harry Potter can’t just be mixed; you’ll have to learn how to make the potion before you can collect the proper ingredients and mix the potion correctly. If you haven’t learned the potion and still try to make it, it’ll blow up in your Lego face. I’m especially excited about this new element of gameplay, and I think it will breathe a bit of life into both the Harry Potter and Lego series of games.

The graphics and music in Lego Harry Potter fit the game and world brilliantly. Diagon Alley is very colorful with lots of detail in the backdrop, which includes shops from the series. It feels busy and bustling. Gringotts bank feels hushed and calm, much like a goblin bank should. You’ll see flying Lego pieces and Lego portraits, which are also often interactive. Hogwarts is vast and huge, and the Lego staircases will shift direction, just like the story goes. The ghosts from Harry Potter are also seen in the game, and Nearly Headless Nick even leaves behind ghost coins at some points to guide you to your classes.

You can also fly brooms in Lego Harry Potter. And staying true to the Harry Potter lore, different characters have different abilities on a broomstick. Harry is great, but Hermione is horrid. I really like this touch and think the developers have put a lot of effort into paying attention to the characters. The magic in Lego Harry Potter also isn’t random. You’ll have to defeat obstacles or solve puzzles using the proper spells, such as use a patronus charm against dementors.

Lego Harry Potter will have single-player and two-player co-op. Online co-op will be available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. One of the things I liked most about the co-op play for Lego Harry Potter is that the developers use the same splitscreen style that was used in Lego Indiana Jones 2: When you branch from your partner, instead of fighting to go your way or his way, the screen will split, and you can both go and do what you gotta do. That was one of my major issues with previous Lego games. Nothing quite like being forcibly tied together like some sort of videogame potato sack race.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 looks awesome. The game seems to pay homage to the books and stay true to the story and characters. I’ve always loved Harry Potter, and I’m glad Traveller’s Tales is keeping the magic alive. For more information about Lego Harry Potter, visit http://games.kidswb.com/official-site/lego-harry-potter/. The game is scheduled for release June 29 for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, PSP and DS.