Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Things are further enhanced this time by the introduction of ‘speed kills’, which allow you to quickly dispatch an unsuspecting enemy from behind. Meanwhile, the dark prince has a powerful whip-like weapon that can also be used to explore parts other peers cannot reach.

Graphically, The Two Thrones makes excellent use of the latest hardware to deliver detailed characters and lavish surroundings. Shadow and fog effects are particularly good, animation is smooth and textures finely detailed.

However, nothing is ever perfect – close up models can be a trifle angular, there’s no option to continuously centre the camera behind the player or lock on to enemies and poor collision detection means it’s easy to end up with your foe embedded halfway though a wall.

Sound effects and the musical score are as detailed as the visuals. For once, even the voice-acting is spot on - the Prince’s conversations with himself being particularly noteworthy.

Unfortunately, the PC version does fall short when it comes to keyboard control. This game was clearly designed with consoles, or at least a gamepad, in mind, and many of the on-screen tips suggest moving or clicking an analogue stick.

Trying to perform some of the more complex fighting moves with the keys will likely tie your fingers in knots.

It’s difficult to see how Ubisoft could have worked around this, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

Minor niggles aside, the Two Thrones is quite possibly the best action adventure on the PC at the moment and comes highly recommend to those who own a console-style game controller.

Specifications:
1GHz processor
256MB of Ram
DVD-Rom drive
Windows 2000/XP