Video game:Lego Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Whether you follow a design and instructions, or make your own creation, LEGO blocks have stimulated imaginations in children and adults since their introduction in 1958. These simple bricks join together to form millions of combinations, and have left a significant impression in popular culture and the way we play. Thanks to television and video games, users are not limited in the ways they choose to interact with LEGO pieces; they can build, control characters, and take part in interactive stories without ever leaving the couch.

Electronic Arts released the first LEGO video game in 1997. Entitled "LEGO Island," this computer game allowed players to explore a world made entirely out of LEGO pieces and complete different missions. "LEGO Island" received excellent reviews and led to the creation of two sequels, as well as many more LEGO games. Along with original worlds and storylines, LEGO also released video games that tied into popular franchises, such as "Harry Potter," "Star Wars," and "Lord of the Rings."

In 1998, LEGO Media released "LEGO Creator." This construction simulation game allowed players to use LEGO pieces to build their own worlds without any time or money constraints. Unlike other video games, there are no objectives, challenges, or missions for gamers to complete. The game received very positive reviews and spawned many spin-offs. One such sequel is "LEGO Creator: Harry Potter," which LEGO Media released in 2001. Based off the same premise as "LEGO Creator," the Harry Potter version of the game allowed players to build in the wizarding universe introduced by J.K Rowling in 1997. For example, gamers can cast spells, change the weather, and dress figurines with cloaks and wands. They can also control popular characters such as Harry, Ron, and Hermione and explore different areas of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

While gamers and critics enjoyed playing the original "LEGO Creator," many found the Harry Potter version redundant and unsatisfying. Skyler Miller of AllGame.com wrote that the game was "unfocused, offering little of the enjoyment that could be found by playing with real LEGO [pieces], reading the Harry Potter books, or watching the movie." Nevertheless, LEGO Media released a sequel to "LEGO Creator: Harry Potter" entitled "LEGO Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in 2002.

This game, based off the second book in the Harry Potter series, had the same premise as the first game but included new features, such as expanded worlds and more minifigures to choose. Additionally, players could complete different tasks to unlock new areas and models. Like its predecessor, "Chamber of Secrets" received mostly negative reviews. Critics chastised the gameplay, as well as the quests, which they found limited. In its review, the French gaming website Jeuxvideo.com called the game "unenjoyable" and "ugly," and told consumers to stay away from it "at all costs." It was not until 2010 that LEGO and Warner Bros. released another Harry Potter-themed LEGO game.

In 1998, the National Toy Hall of Fame, calling the blocks "an ideal toy," inducted LEGO into its ranks. Two years later, "Fortune Magazine" named the LEGO brick "Toy of the Century." Thanks to computer animation, LEGO figurines appear in multiple television series, as well as a full-length movie. More than 50 years after its initial release, LEGO's interlocking plastic block remains popular and continues to evolve.