It has always been the ideal setting for magic. Teleporting is magical (with or without the use of Floo powder), chairs can be summoned on a whim (who would know it’s coming from your inventory?), and any all-knowing wizard can easily find the hottest spots in town (crystal map anyone?). But now, this interactive medium has brought magic to a whole new level. Yes, it’s true; Harry Potter has come to Second Life!

The excitement was palpable in the Spunlogic office when we landed in Hogwarts castle. In front of us was a sorting hat with instructions on how to take the sorting quiz and find out which house you belong in (Hufflepuff!). Anticipation grew as we roamed through the classrooms (where you can sign up for classes) to discover self stirring cauldrons, spell books, potions and lots more.

The oohing and aahing was at an all time high when we discovered Diagon Alley. The point of arrival at Diagon Alley is a fairly innocuous looking marketplace. Wander in a little closer, past the Leaky Cauldron and you’ll stumble onto a whole other world. Imagine a scene taken from the pages of any Harry Potter books – students in cloaks with floating tags above their heads, identifying them as being from the house of Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw, milling around outside of the Scarborough Emporium (makers and sellers of broomsticks), chatting and trying out spells. It was surreal.

Of course, we had to check out the wand shop, because every good wizard must have a wand. Gleefully, we examined scepters, wands and spells of various shapes, sizes and function. My purchase and experience can be summed up by the following:

Wand: $L150
Spell: $L150
Feeling the unbelievable wonder when a Phoenix shot out from my brand new wand: Priceless

Can you tell I’m a Harry Potter fan?

We wandered around the sim a little longer and discovered that one of the many ways to interact with others was to become part of the Harry Potter role playing game. With enough time on your hands, one can easily become a Hogwarts student, enroll in classes, learn to cast spells and become an integral part of the community.

The experience that this sim offers, for those HP fans out there, is not to be missed. Seeing this world come alive, and to be able to interact and experience it in a way that the books, movies and websites cannot provide is, well, the stuff of dreams. All made possible by Second Life.