It has been nearly impossible to avoid the name Harry Potter over the last several years, with books and merchandise taking kids and adults by storm.

With the release of the first movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” last year, the buzz hit an all-time high as the movie grossed over $300 million, and now it has made its way to DVD.

Even if you are not a fan of the books and know nothing about Hogwarts, Muggles or Quidditch, “Sorcerer’s Stone” is still a great movie for kids and adults alike. The story of Harry Potter and his friends as they go through their first year of wizard school and encounter all the troubles involved is cute, charming and thoroughly entertaining.

While the movie does not rely much on action, it still has some good scenes – in areas of both drama and comedy. The characters themselves are fascinating and their world intriguing. The cast of “Sorcerer’s Stone” helps bring those characters to life with strong performances, and the filmmakers led by director Chris Columbus have done an equally great job of realizing the world of Harry Potter.

This all makes for an enjoyable trip through the movie. While its plot is not complicated, the movie has enough to warrant repeat viewings, making it a great title to own.

The video of the DVD is nicely done and really helps show off the wonderful design of the film. This includes all the rich color and intricate sets, as well as action sequences like the Quidditch match. The sound, although lacking a DTS track, still comes across well and nicely utilizes surround systems, especially with the John Williams soundtrack.

The extras presented on disc 2 are a mixed bag. It is not that they are bad, but there isn’t much for adult viewers, being aimed instead at younger viewers. This is because they are presented in an assortment of highly interactive menus and games that allow kids to complete some of the tasks presented in the movie.

Some of the highlights are mixing potions, buying supplies or simply touring Hogwarts’ halls. There is also a wealth of information about the various aspects of the world, like further explanations of the game of Quidditch or characters.

There is also a wealth of other activities accessed with a DVD-ROM on your computer for further adventures online.

These games and activities are simple in nature and offer very little to adults. This leaves very little else to explore on the DVD, but there are a couple items of value. The most obvious is the short but excellent interview featurette with filmmakers discussing various aspects of production.

The other excellent feature, the deleted scenes, is a bit more troublesome to get to and may be missed by many. The scenes are accessed two ways, both requiring games to be played and finished, which is an annoyance. Once accessed, though, the seven scenes are fun to watch and worth at least one trip through the games.

While we will have to wait awhile for the full “Harry Potter” series to make it to the big screen, it is great that Warner Bros. decided to make each book a separate film. With “Sorcerer’s Stone,” you get the first part of story as well as an all-around good movie.

The film is charming and fun and the extras will keep kids entertained for hours after the movie ends.