TheThe magical secret alley from the Harry Potter films is brought to life in a scale not seen before with this enormous set - LEGO’s second largest Harry Potter set - Diagon Alley. Measuring 1 metre long, the set contains many of the stores Harry Potter fans would expect as well as tons of references to the events of the books and films.

Split in to four modules each with one or two stores and their own personality the build remains interesting throughout, and as an added bonus the modules are separated in to different instruction booklets which means this set can easily be built with a friend (or friends).

For the shops included in Diagon Alley there’s a wide variety of build techniques and styles here. As well as being different colours, the store fronts are varied and use a few different techniques to build windows, signage and awnings. Stickers are frequently used to place the shop names and can span over multiple LEGO bricks meaning sticker alignment can be a little stressful.

Inside the stores, each has a few details to make it unique, but the 6 deep floor space means things are tightly packed.

Ollivanders contains a selection of wands as you’d expect; and boxes to contain them in; a staircase that can extend out of the set for space, and it uses an interesting technique to build the tall bookcases which is reused in a couple of other stores. Scribbulus Writing Implements is a simpler store with a desk and upstairs living area.

Quality Quidditch Supplies is a little emptier with its indoor decoration, which I’d assume is so the customers can test drive their broomsticks but the three floor building is nevertheless an engaging build mainly thanks to the window front. The Daily Prophet editorial office is more disappointing with its sparse single room and cobweb above the door.

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor is a bright store that pops with colour and the only food related shop on the alley. This store has a tiled floor which makes it more difficult to pose minifigures but lots of detail. The table and chairs to sit outside also remain lose which is something to consider during transportation. Flourish & Blotts’ book store contains another staircase, more LEGO built bookcases and an interesting build technique for assembling the front signage.

Finally, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is another bright and colourful store with a giant statue built in to the brickwork. The statue’s hat can be raised up and down - the only movable piece of the set. Inside, things are feel a little less crazy than we’d expect from a store run by the Weasleys. The staircase is bright and colourful; and there are several shelves of store goods but it feels a little ordinary.

The set includes a generous 14 minifigures to populate the streets and stores; there’s many you’d expect like Harry, Hermoine and Ron, and some surprises too like Gilderoy Lockhart, Florean Fortescue, Lucius Malfoy and a photographer for the Daily Prophet.

Once the set has been completed, there is a secret box 21 that adds an extra special finishing touch - but we won’t ruin the surprise here.

Overall, Diagon Alley is a brilliant, colourful LEGO set and a must for any Harry Potter fan. The stores all shine with their individual characters and personalities. The only omission here is Gringots. But with the modular nature of the set, there is hope that a Gringots adjoining set could be released one day, in a similar vein to the LEGO NinjaGo modulars.