PRINCE OF PERSIA: SANDS OF TIME. Publisher: UbiSoft. Formats: PS2, PC, Xbox. Price: £39.99 or less.

THE Prince of Persia was an absolute classic. As with the Broken Sword adventures I wrote about before Christmas, Prince of Persia was one of those games that broke boundaries way back when a PC with 4MB of RAM was considered a borderline supercomputer.

Back in the 1980s I was knocked out by the ability to control a figure who could (gasp) actually run, jump and climb over things.

The control system isn't such a radical departure in 2004 (your character still runs, jumps and climbs, only now he does it much more fluidly) but that just goes to show how "right" the original game was all those years ago.

To be honest, the Prince is a bit of a klutz this time around.

When the game opens he and his father decide to loot the Maharajah's palace and kidnap his daughter.

Initially, at least, things go well. The palace security is breached and the two protagonists are helping themselves to sundry goodies when the Prince comes across something very unusual indeed.

It's an hour glass but not one the Maharajah's cook would use to time his Turkish delight in the oven - when the sands in this particular piece start to flow they can bend time (hence the title of this game).

As devotees of The Matrix will tell you the ability to bend time makes the holder of the hour glass all powerful.

And wouldn't you know it, no sooner has the Prince purloined the hour glass than a baddie has tricked him into giving it up - unleashing untold misery on the kingdom and kicking off an epic quest, which is where you come in.

Of course the wicked Vizier who has the hour glass doesn't fancy giving it up. To stop the Prince he creates all manner of monsters powered by a few grains of sand.

When the Prince does battle with these sand creatures and destroys them, a small amount of the sands is released. If the Prince collects the grains (in a handy sand tank) then he, too, has the ability to control time.

All this action occurs within the grand palace. Don't worry, though, because this adventure never feels claustrophobic or repetitive. Handily placed switches open up vast new areas to explore and you can use ropes, wooden beams and ladders to find different rooms.

Even better, if you fall or fail in some other way, it is possible to use a few grains of sand to rewind time and have another go - or head off in a different direction.

This enables you to tackle the puzzles in different ways but don't use that sand carelessly, otherwise the Prince will find himself bereft of magic later on in the game.

Judicious use of the grains will grant the Prince magical powers of his own. As he progresses, he accumulates the ability to freeze enemies, slow them down (crucial for fast moving baddies in the heat of battle), move at the speed of sound, rewind time and, best of all, to look into the future.

The fight scenes are pretty spectacular. Your Prince has a very full repertoire of punches, kicks and thrusts. He can also dodge enemy attacks by jumping out of the way, performing athletic back flips or rolling past them.

Ubisoft reckoned it created some 750 different animations to flesh out the Prince's character and I reckon that's probably right. This game avatar makes Lara Croft look like a shop window dummy.

It's also nice to come across a really playable title that doesn't require on-line connection or a second player to provide buckets of enjoyment.

When I heard Ubisoft planned a sequel to such a seminal title as The Prince of Persia, I inwardly shuddered. As the 3-D remake of Sensible Soccer showed, some games are better left untouched.

I'm glad to report that Ubisoft's programmers have proved me very wrong indeed. This is one of the best adventures in years and a must-have for any fans of the original. In ten years' time, I'm certain fans will look back on this game with the same affection and respect. A timely appearance for a classic game character indeed and fun for sitting room adventurers of all ages.

DESTRUCTION DERBY ARENAS. Publisher: SCEE. Format: PS2. Price: £39.99 or less.

FED up with driving games that strive for realism? Sick of taking part in ridiculous "tests" just so you can go and have some racing fun? Then slap Destruction Derby Arenas into your PS2 and get crashing.

It's been awhile coming (the PSOne had a couple of DD titles) but this first outing on the PS2 injects a breath of fresh air (Or should that be nitrous oxide?) into the somewhat moribund driving genre.

Realism goes out the window. This game is about breakneck pace and spectacular crashes.

Yes you can earn some points for finishing well but you'll bag a pocketful more by crunching your enemies and performing audacious moves. The hairier the race, the greater the chance to rack up some serious scores.

There are 19 competing cars and every driver has an attitude. Even if you don't try to put them into the Armco wall they will do the same to you at every opportunity.

There's an online element to this game as well but it's just as much fun played alone.

Published: 02/01/2003