When a young prince steals a magic dagger, he inadvertently empowers an evil magician with dark powers. In "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," a three-dimensional adventure game from Ubi Soft finally making it into the Japanese market, the eponymous prince must find his way through his ruined palace to set things right.
"Prince" is both a new phenomenon and a terrific revival. Based on a classic computer game released in 1990, this version for the PlayStation 2 retains its progenitor's formula of daring jumps, spiked floors and tall drops, but it adds brilliant three-dimensional settings and all the trappings of a thoroughly well-produced modern game.
This is a true adventure game -- far more about exploration than combat. Possessed soldiers, zombie dancers and snarling animals await the young hero wherever he goes, but the real challenge is in the going itself.