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Has it really been a decade since Prince Of Persia first appeared on videogame screens? Cripes! It may never have graced the screens of the Game Boy Color until now, but heck, it's been worth the wait. The animation and classic platform gameplay that made the Amiga version an instant classic have been beautifully recreated.

The old feel of the original certainly holds true - it's almost as if Prince Of Persia was designed for the portable wonder box. From the moment you take your first well-timed leap into the traps and terrors that await the bold adventurer from the land of Persia, you're hooked. Never before has the need to plan ahead and remember certain sections played such an important role in a platform game. One false step and its curtains, or more precisely, a gory death as you fall onto a bed of spikes or chop yourself into pieces of sushi clamped between deadly palace slicers.

The sword swiping action takes place over thirteen diverse levels - each one even more fiendish than the last. The controls are exceptionally good and your player responds wonderfully well to all your commands. What makes Prince Of Persia stand head and shoulders above most other titles in the genre are the initially tricky manoeuvres you need to master, which transform the game into something very special once they have been mastered.

Adjusting your run-ups and edging the Prince to exactly the right spot before performing the required move is both fun and frustrating. In the end though, it's fun working out how to manipulate the puzzles and traps. There's fluid movement of characters, an unfolding plot and a range of enemies to fight. You can even expect a bit of romance here and there, but remember Prince Of Persia is a timeless classic which demands an element of grey matter to complete. A true Prince amongst games!

When young and innocent eyes first got a butcher's of this Arabic adventure on the Amiga (It was a computer, ask your Dad!) the exceptional graphics opened up a whole new world of platform gameplay.

And now, almost a decade on, the satisfaction of holding the entire original game in your hand cannot be discounted. The Game Boy Color graphics are not detailed, but the character movement is top notch, and, most importantly of all, the game's puzzles continue to offer great staying power.

Graphics 80%
Nice animation.

Sound 60%
The usual twinkling tunes.

Playability 100%
Tough, but challenging gameplay.

Lastability 100%
The traps and puzzles are perfect.

Overall 90%
A classic brought back to life.