Practice your magic skills with Harry Potter iPhone app

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NEWSCOM
A new iPhone app, Magic Wars, lets Harry Potter fans practice their magic wand skills. The latest Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," was released this week.
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Screen grab by Amy Farnsworth
With the iPhone app, Magic Wars, aspiring wizards and witches can practice different spells using their iPhone as a magic wand. Before players participate in a duel, they practice in training sessions to learn how to cast a mood spell, for example.

This post is for all the Harry Potter fans out there. Now that you've probably already seen "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince" (and most likely attended the midnight screening, too), why not practice your magic wand skills?

A free iPhone app called Magic Wars trains Hogwarts' newest students in the art of casting spells and prepares them for duels with other wizards. The game, launched three weeks ago by pocketfungames, preps players for wizard battles by having them practice motions with an iPhone while reciting an incantation.

When the app boots up, wizards and witches are asked to flick their wrist to find a matching wand and are asked a series of questions to determine the house in which they will reside. There's also an option to give yourself a wizard name and upload a photo before you begin studying spells and proposing duels with other players.

Using the iPhone as a stand-in for a magical wand, players study and practice movements in a virtual classroom while reciting incantations such as "Flabilis"to cast the spell for levitation, for example. (Word of caution: You may look a little silly playing this game in an office setting or feel awkward reciting incantations at the bus stop.) After casting a spell, each wizards' magic wand ability is scored by a percentage.

When you feel confident enough to try casting spells outside the classroom, you can find another nearby wizard using the iPhone's GPS capabilities to challenge another player to a duel. Players then take turns reciting incantations and moving their wrists in semi-circles and other patterns to conduct various spells on each other. At the conclusion of the duel, the players' scores are calculated to see who had the most effective spells.

The creator of the app, Sara Lewis, told TechCrunch that the game receives around 2,000 downloads per day. She plans to make more spells available for download in the future.

But for now, take some time to practice the levitation spell or mood spell with other wizards and witches in your neighborhood.

Have you tried casting a spell on your iPhone yet? Leave a comment or follow us on Twitter.

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