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Persia in age of darkness: war and strife rage throughout the land. The Sultan has left, leading his army to a huge battle in foreign parts. His right hand man, the Grand Vizier, has claimed the throne in his leader's absence. His tyranny knows no limits, and his evil pervades the very fabric of Persian life... Who can save them from this terrible despot?

You can! A notorious adventurer and womaniser from a distant land, the Vizier regards you as the only obstacle between him and complete power. He has noticed how cool you were at the disco, and saw the way the local babes drooled as you walked past. Your prowess as a swordsman and all round good guy has not escaped his notice.

None of your incredible exploits would have caused any trouble, but you had to go and try it on with the Sultan's daughter. The Vizier fancies her something rotten, and is jealous of your limitless charm. And so you find yourself locked in the palace dungeon, stripped of your sword, with only the bones of your companions to keep you company.

Jaffar the Vizier (and complete pervert), has used your incarceration in his own twisted plans. He has given the Princess an ultimatum, and only an hour to decide. Marry him, or both she and you (the cool adventurer) will die!

Understandably miffed at this plan, you decide to escape from the clink, rescue the girl, and hey, why not bump off the Vizier while you're at it?

Prince Of Persia opens up with a lovely juicy title screen, marred slightly by the rather dodgy title music. An entertaining intro shows the Vizier giving the Princess the ultimatum, and turning the hourglass (shades of Wizard of Oz). Press the Fire button, and it's off into the dungeon.

The game starts with you escaping from the slammer, your cell door slamming down behind you You then have to guide your sprite through the danger-filled screens of level one.

Your sprite is a little blond dude, wearing some really sexy baggy pantaloons. Move the joystick left or right, and you run in the chosen direction. Hold the fire button pressed and then choose a direction - the character will take careful, almost stealthy, steps. Soon you will come across an obstacle of some sort, and then you really get to see just what blondie is capable of.

Walk to the base of a wall and push up on the joystick, and the little Prince of Persia wannabe will scale it in a very convincing fashion, Come to the edge of a dangerous looking drop, and a simple push down will cause Princie babes to hang precariously from the edge.

Leaping across chasms is just as simple, and Princie can be made to leap gaps with majestic grace. If, however, you miss the other side by a fraction, pressing the fire button quickly will cause our hero to grab the edge of the ledge. Push up and he will clamber quickly to safety. Phew! What a relief.

When the game starts, you have no sword, so you'll have to search the dungeon to find one. Once found, you have to do two things, find the exit, and beat the evil henchman who guards it.

Sword fighting is a tricky process, and one that involves a lot of trial and error before you start to learn any kind of technique. You will have to learn though, otherwise bad guys are going to make your life a complete misery.

There are traps absolutely everywhere, including collapsing floors, falling gates, spikes and slamming spiky doors. Most can be spotted long before they actually do you any harm and there are ways of using these traps to your advantage.

Spikes can be avoided simply by walking carefully across them, and this technique can be used to get closer to the edges of precipices.

There are secret rooms hidden everywhere, and jumping around can often be a fruitful experience. Often, you will find potions which restore any energy lost in falls or sword fights, but care should be taken when drinking them as some are poisoned.

The graphics in this game are very, very good indeed. The way your character moves is the first thing to impress the player. He runs, leaps and climbs just like a real human being, even to the point of staggering when he is suddenly turned around. While there have been smoother animation routines on the Amstrad in the past, there has never been a more realistically motivated sprite.

The programmer apparently spent weeks studying videos of actual human movement, and this dedication has definitely paid off. The graphics look incredible in motion, and are enhanced by atmospheric backgrounds. Torches flicker in the dank, cold passages and doors slide shut with a creepy clank.

The sound spoils things a little, the tunes are dire to say the least. Spot effects are lovely, though, especially during the sword fights.

The game plays like a dream. What it boils down to is an addictive platform game par excellence, with a good bit of hacking and slashing thrown in for good measure.

First impressions could lead you to believe you were playing the ST version; things look so smooth and detailed. The difficulty level has been pitched exactly right, with a little more progress being made each time you play.

In short, this is one of the best Amstrad games ever, and it'll be along time before you come anywhere near rescuing the Princess. Wow!

Find sword and escape dungeon.

Graphics 98%
Some of the best animation you'll ever see - truly gobsmacking visuals.

Sonics 73%
Excellent spot fx spoiled by the extraordinary duff music.

Grab Factor 96%
Instant addiction will drag you into the game, kicking and screaming.

Staying Power 94%
Difficult enough to keep you going for quite some time.

Overall 95%
Some of the best graphics and gameplay yet seen on the Amstrad!