Natalya Wilson offers her verdict on the latest Harry Potter.

This, the sixth episode in the Harry Potter series, is one of the darkest and definitely the least hopeful yet.

Harry's nemesis Lord Voldemort has returned to full strength and he and his band of Death Eaters have declared open war on both the Magical and Muggle worlds.

More and more people are mysteriously disappearing and dying and everyone is terrified that the Dark Lord and his evil followers will strike their families next.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends, having passed their OWL exams, carry on with their magical learning. Harry's arch enemy Draco Malfoy is up to no good which perplexes the young wizard; Snape finally lands the Defence Against The Dark Arts post and there's a new Potions teacher.

Ron discovers girls, much to Hermione's dismay, and Harry finds a mysterious book, a Potions textbook inscribed with spells and scribblings belonging to a mysterious 'Half-Blood Prince'.

Meanwhile, as events worsen in the magical world, Dumbledore and Harry delve into the past via people's memories to discover the truth about Lord Voldemort's history and the secret of how he turned from handsome Tom Riddle into the apparently immortal Dark Lord. The question they must answer is how can Harry destroy him, as the Prophecy suggests he inevitably must?

We are introduced to some new creatures, the zombie-like Inferi - dead people reanimated by Voldemort - and there's a shocking and unexpected death that will send you reeling for the tissues.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is another masterpiece from JK Rowling; the story enthrals you from the first page to the last as the plot unravels at a speedy pace.

It's a far cry from the lighter hearted beginnings of Harry Potter. Like the characters, the tone is more mature, dealing with complex, adult issues - relationships, trust, heartbreak, death - which could possibly alienate younger fans of the series, although there's still plenty of humour and lighter moments.

Like The Empire Strikes Back, it prepares us for the final, ending on a sad, rather hopeless note, where the evil enemy seems to have won and our hero's future is left up in the air. Here's hoping that there will be a Return Of The Jedi-style ending to the series in the next and final instalment.

Updated: 16:30 Friday, July 22, 2005