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The scenario is the oldest in the book; rescue beautiful maiden from the clutches of evil tyrant, but what separates this little gem from the pack, is the ingenuity of the gameplay.

Prince Of Persia is one of those rare delights that only comes along once in a long while and, for a time, looked to be the property of the 16-bit domain only. However, thanks to some excellent conversion work, we CPC freaks can now enjoy this superb offering too, and it doesn't seem to have lost any of the nailbiting tension or playability during the transition.

Using extremely simple joystick control, the only moves you have to master are running, jumping, climbing, dropping and a little swashbuckling swordplay.

If you're a clever joystick waggler, use it. If not, and, in my view at least, if you want just a little more precise control, try using the SHIFT key and the cursors.

Moving on to the game itself, the simple scenario is this: the Grand Vizier Jaffar has seized the Sultan's throne and plans to marry your sweetheart, the Sultan's daughter.

Stripped and thrown into the dungeons of the Sultan's palace, you have just one hour to ascend through the various levels of the palace and rescue the maiden before she has to choose between death, or a life worse than death as the Vizier's wife. One hour of real-time playing may seem to be more than enough to master a handful of levels of running and swordplay. However, working your way through the labyrinthine tiers and corridors is not as simple as it sounds and, if you make a wrong turn out of sequence, death comes all too quickly.

There is no limit to the number of lives you lose but remember, the clock is ticking away all the time. Every time you die means precious seconds wasted as your darling languishes in the tower.

As a simple hint, once you've dropped down a level on level one, head west and find your weapon, otherwise there's no way forward.

As you progress, beware of the excellent obstacles in your path. Prince Of Persia is all about timing; get your jumps right and use the controls wisely to your advantage at all times. By about level five, the sword-wielding opponents are beginning to get very adept. Be warned, it's no picnic from here on in.

Totally addictive, Prince Of Persia features some superb graphics and some mesmerising oriental musical excerpts, giving a real touch of atmosphere to the piece.

In fact, taking into account the sprite movements and clarity of the graphics, you could well be looking at a 16-bit offering. Well done Broderbund, this is one offering worth every penny of its full-price label.