Review by: Bob Mandel
Published: February 3, 2004

During the early days of computer gaming, Jordan Mechner’s Prince of Persia series stood out as one of the real bright lights. Prince of Persia 1 and 2, released in 1989 and 1993 respectively, were both critical and commercial successes. Then in the late 1990s, Red Orb published Prince of Persia 3D, converting a two-dimensional platform title into a full 3D adventure, and everyone – both longtime fans of the series and newcomers – was terribly disappointed. Now Ubisoft has developed and published Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time; can this latest installment return the series to its previous glory?

The story fits right into the tradition of the series. After the Prince steals the Dagger of Time, a sinister Vizier tricks the Prince into opening a magical hourglass, unleashing the Sands of Time on the Sultan’s kingdom. The Sands are driven by an primordial need to track down anything that lives and convert it into a horrid sand creature. Your mission, playing the role of the Prince, is to find a way to rectify this terrible predicament and defeat evil, a task that will take all the ingenuity you have. The plot is excellent and engrossing, and you just cannot help but get wrapped up in it.

Both the Dagger of Time and the Sands of Time are intriguing innovative wrinkles. The Sands of Time, previously sealed in an impregnable hourglass, constitute a powerful substance corrupting every living thing touched. The Dagger of Time is the only vessel other than the hourglass capable of containing and harnessing the Sands of Time; although your sword can hurt sand creatures, to dispose of them you need the Dagger. To use the powers of the Dagger, you must have sand within it. Possessing the Dagger allows you to alter, at least temporarily, the fabric of time: its powers include revival, undoing your mistakes (even your own death) by traveling back in time; delay, slowing down time for everyone around you (giving an edge in combat); restraint, stopping time for a targeted enemy; haste, stopping time for the entire world; and destiny, revealing startling visions of the future.

The three main characters are the Prince, Farah, and the Vizier. The Prince is the youngest son of King Sharaman of Persia and a superb athlete possessing great battle skills. Farah is the beautiful daughter of a conquered Indian Maharajah, and she has to stay close to the Prince and cooperate with him to survive the horrors unleashed by the Sands of Time. The Vizier is a traitor in the Maharajah’s service, and he wants the Dagger of Time to fulfill his diabolical plan. This colorful threesome provide more than enough mystery and adventure to sustain your interest throughout this exciting virtual adventure.