Even for an update of an existing and all but dead series there is really nothing out of the ordinary or unexpected. Behold, then, the Sands of Time! Early in his quest our springy Prince has unearthed a magical dagger and foolishly used it to unleash the Sands of Time. Not only has this created a plague of sand zombies who stalk the Palace corridors, but it has allowed the Prince to manipulate time so long as the dagger is charged with the mystical sand. Getting sand requires you to finish off a sand zombie with the dagger in a spectacularly stylish fashion. The first power the dagger gives is that of being able to reverse time. A very cool feature to watch and, even better, to streamline your gaming experience as if you fluff a jump a press of the L1 button rewinds the Prince's last seconds and allow him to try again. As the Prince progresses and magic sand is collected the dagger's power grows allowing for more time related manipulation to be had. Freezing and slowing time are all to be had and used as and when you see fit, freezing time in a room full of sand zombies lets the Prince dispatch them with a single blow whereas merely slowing down time will only make them slightly easier to kill.

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Control of the Prince is very easy. Context sensitive controls mean the button count is reasonably low, R1 for acrobatics, X to jump or roll with only a couple of extra controls for pulling yourself up or dropping off ledges. Engaging the enemy is also very easy, pushing the stick towards an enemy and pressing the Square button makes the Prince strike in that direction toward the enemy. Surprisingly it handles combat against multiple opponents better than any fighting game has in recent memory making combat a mostly enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately there are some negative points to the game, and combat is the biggest of these. While it is fun and fluid there is just too much of it. Practically every other room has a horde of baddies waiting to be dispatched, which is all well and good, but there are up to 12 enemies in 3 waves and some of the later baddies can be a pain to dispatch time and time again. It's a shame as not only does it break the smooth flow of the game, it quickly becomes tedious and something that I began to dread rather than look forward to. As well as over zealous use of combat you also get a Princess to baby-sit as you progress through the game and although she very rarely gets in the way, her constant whinging and ability to run away from enemies means you can often find the game over as she gets battered while you are busy dispatching a group of enemies.

Overall then, this game is an incredible surprise. A truly worthy successor to the name and a well imagined and realised title. Things like the sand powers are not merely some gimmick to shift a few more games; they are a key part of the game mechanic. The entire game would be very different without them, relegating it to a slick platformer. As it is now it is an essential purchase, and whilst not without a share of annoyances, the rest of the game oozes with such polish and style that they are very easy to overlook. If you found Ico to be too sedate, Jak II to be too kiddie, and Blinx to be just plain rubbish, then Prince of Persia is the title that shows platform games can be fun even without bug-eyed characters. Not only that, but don't be too surprised if the old 'Sands of Time' start cropping up in other games with a different name.

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By Brad Davey