Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (GameCube)

Prince of Persia sees you place the part of a very acrobatic, sword wielding prince, who must dart, leap, bounce and bound his way a beautifully realised ancient arabic palace, collecting the mystical "Sands of Time". The game is as much about momentum and precision of movement as anything; the challenge lies in working out just how to get the prince to that seemingly unreachable ledge or platform, and then seemlessly executing a series of smooth and beautifully animatied spins and vaults, bouncing off walls and swinging from flag poles or lights to reach it. One of the key game mechanics is that the sand you collect can be used up in order to effectively rewind time (hence sands of time!); So if you mess up a section you can just go back and try again; this leads to a greater sense of freedom to experiment and try out all the seemingly impossible possibilities that a lead character with quite such acrobatic abilities has to offer.

Combat is not particularly complex, but spectacular none the less, and the prince is as flamboyant a swordsman as he is when jumping and running around the stunning landscape. Downsides to the game; well, the camera is a little annoying at times, and doesn't always keep up with the prince, particularly when negotiating particularly complex areas, but if it really causes you a problem you can always just rewind time and try again!

To sum up, this game is a must buy! If you only like games with lots of blood and big guns, then maybe its not for you, but if you want a game that tests your skill and imagination, then the prince will prove a very rewarding companion!

The graphics in this game are second to non with the possible exception of Windwalker. Everything in this game looks stunning, different moods are created and really do change the mood of the game. I cannot praise them highly enough. The settings are all fantastic and are of a scale hardly ever seen before, I have only ever felt in awe of one other game and that was the first Tombraider, not that I am comparing the two, but the scale is impressive.

The sound is excellent, nice music, nice voice acting and perfect and appropriate sounds.

The controls are so natural and simple to grasp you will be pulling all kinds of special moves in no time at all.

The adventure sections are easy enough early on, getting more dificult as you progress with the addition of time limits just to spice things up a little. The battle scenes are very good and you will be flipping and slicing in no time, the only problem is that these do tend to go on a little with no real guide as to when you are about to win - monsters keep on reappearing after death then suddenly just stop! Don't let this put you off though - this is a fantasic game. Just play it and see.

Great game. Looks great, sound effects and music (surprisingly rock-influenced at times) are perfect for the game, and it plays like a dream.

Yes, it's a little bit easy at times; as others have pointed out, in some newly-encountered areas, the camera pans about in a path that shows you pretty much the route through the area. But, this game is a lot of fun regardless, and one that I couldn't put down. The ability to freeze and rewind time (which is limited by the way- the game isn't THAT forgiving) is a novel idea, and it's refreshing to play a game that feels so well put together and that the developers actually cared about what they were making.

Highly recommended.