LEGO Harry Potter - Years 1-4 on the DS is basically the first four books (or movies, if you prefer) but with that classic LEGO charm—you know, goofy animations, characters making silly faces, and everything breaking into little plastic bricks when you blast it with a spell. You start off as Harry getting his Hogwarts letter, and before long, you're wandering the castle, unlocking spells in classes, and solving little puzzles to progress.

The magic system is simple but fun—tap the screen to cast, and later you’ll learn new spells like Wingardium Leviosa to stack LEGO blocks or Reducto to blow stuff up (which, let’s be honest, is half the fun). The DS version doesn’t have the open-world exploration of the console ones, but it still nails the vibe—Hagrid’s hut feels cozy, the Great Hall looks great, and there are tons of little secrets tucked away if you poke around.

It’s not super challenging, but the puzzles are clever enough to keep you thinking, and the co-op mode is a blast if you’ve got a friend to pass the second stylus to. Just don’t expect the story to follow the books too closely—LEGO’s more about the jokes and chaotic fun than deep lore. If you’ve ever wanted to see a LEGO Snape dramatically flip his cape, this is your game.