Big problems hold this game back.
The main issues I have with the official Waverly Place game are two-fold. Challenge details are often ambiguous, and your character often has to walk from one side of the game world to the other, and back again, just to complete a challenge. I am supposed to be a WIZARD... why am I walking for five minutes straight, when on the TV show, a wave of the wand gets you anywhere?
Games that make you walk just to make everything seem longer and more worthwhile simply do not fool me into thinking that way. This game is short. The equivalent of 5 levels (they're called episodes), each will likely take you an hour - longer if you get stuck trying to figure out what the challenge hint means, or if you get stuck on a particularly hard mini-game (usually 12-ball).
The rewards for beating levels or the game are pathetic... sure, you unlock a few mini-games to play later, but they could have offered at least some incentive for completing them.
There are some things to like about Waverly Place. The world is all there... you get to roam the Russo home, Waverly Place, the sub station, school even WizTech. This is fun for the frequent viewer of the show - to be able to actually walk through all of these sets. They are pretty well detailed, and about as similar as you could get on a tiny DS screen. The game isn't completely opposite the TV show, so you'll have to have watched seasons 1 and 2 fully to answer some of the trivia questions (or by frequent trial and error), and to understand the story.
Don't pay full price for this game, because its length is much too short to warrant it. However, a fan of the TV show and movie will find this to be a nice, easy (well, mildly frustrating) adventure.