Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on PS2 (2003)

Brief synopsis of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The term classic is tagged onto anything and everything these days, often without just cause. For instance, Space Invaders is a classic. Spyro the Dragon is not. Spyro is a series thats a bit old - there is a difference.

However, Prince of Persia is a classic. Its a classic formula and a classic name, loved by millions, which explains some of the incredible hype around this game, which in fairness surprised many industry watchers.

Gracing almost every 8-Bit home machine, Prince of Persia was a massive success, especially in Europe where a staggering 15 versions of the original were made available. From the Spectrum to the PC Engine, everyone was getting down with the loom-trousered prince, in a game that inspired countless clones and offshoots, not least the hugely popular Aladdin.

The Sands of Time for PlayStation 2 is the Sony version of the all-formats release of the same name, and is - at least in the eyes of the original games fanbase - not the best version available, simply because its not a pure, two dimensional evolution in the series.

However, the gameplay emphasis is firmly on the elemental mix that made POP and others, such as Konamis impossibly good Castlevania, such massive hits. Platform game basics combine seamlessly with combat and a need for exploration and puzzle-solving, generating a Metroid-esque feel, in a pure 3D world.

A storyline as formulaic as it is intriguing sees the young prince unleash a hoard of nastiness within his father's castle by tampering with a dagger, which his mum probably told him not to touch. He must now rid the vast palace of its new blight, as well as ensure that the integrity of the space-time continuum isnt breached.

The lesson? If hed have listened to mum, he could be outside now, playing footballa mistake weve all made.

The twist to this Prince of Persia outing is a Blinx-style ability to control time. You can freeze time, move it backwards and so on, a mechanic that starts out as a gimmick, but soon becomes a factor central to the gameplay.