Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a darker sequel.

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Ubisoft have just released a Prince of Persia sequel, but it's not the tame follow-up to Sands of Time that some may have been expecting. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within promises to be a darker game. The Prince is looking a little like Dave Navarro in some Goth/Metal video and has traded in his laidback personality for a more sombre demeanour.

Along with the more intricate storyline comes a much more mature tone. The Prince is several years older, his scars and cynicism noticeable. The enemies are more intense than your standard zombified guard. Animated skeletons, lizard men and armoured giants stand between you and temporal redemption.

Players now have the ability to wield dual swords while showing off amazing fighting skills. For those who never played Sands, the fighting mechanics were fairly loose — the Prince was able to unleash multi-hit combos as he jumped and flipped around, battling multiple foes: the fun-factor was off the charts.

Ubisoft has tightened up the fight mechanics for this game. Instead of just a few basic attacks, the Prince will have a host of punches, kicks and stabs in his arsenal. The dual swords are a wonderful addition, plus there's the added benefit of range weaponry (bows).

Some of the Prince's old moves have been retained or improved. Previously he would vault over an opponent and come down with a downward strike. This time, he disarms them and puts a sword to their throat, allowing you to use them as a bodyguard, or finish them off with a gruesome decapitation. Wonder where they got that idea?

The Prince retains his time-altering abilities — you can rewind time if you miss a tough jump and try again, or you can put it into use in battle. One new feature allows you to slow down your opponent's time while you move at normal speed, giving the player a distinct advantage.

And you will still need to call on your puzzle-solving abilities as you find your way through each craftily designed level by dodging traps or figuring out which path to take.

* PlayStation 2/Xbox, $99.95