Prince of Persia Classic is a modern update of the classic computer game that first appeared on the Apple II. It doesn’t get the full treatment to bring it in line with the recent Prince of Persia games, but the seriously old school side-scrolling action has been given a graphical overhaul and some minor gameplay tweaks. The result is a game that recalls the fun older games were able to generate from simple play mechanics, but that also channels some of the old frustrations as well.

In the game a princess is imprisoned by an evil sorcerer named Jaffur. She refuses to yield to him so he produces a magical hour glass. If the princess doesn’t agree to marry Jaffur within the hour it takes for the grains of sand to drain, then she will die. That’s where you come in. As the princesses’ true love you must rescue her before the hour is up and the life is drained from her.

When the Prince of Persia franchise was resurrected a few years ago the one thing the new games kept from the old was the prince’s athleticism. A whole arsenal of new moves was added of course, but the prince of twenty years ago could leap wide chasms, do flips, and grab onto ledges with his fingertips as well. This athleticism will help you to navigate the game’s dungeons and palace halls which were designed by an architect with an aversion to stairways. There’s a bit of trial and error involved in determining which gaps must be jumped and which you’ll need to drop into, and which passages lead to dead ends and which get you closer to the princess.  Some players may find this to be a bit frustrating which is probably why the developers added a magical butterfly that periodically appears to show you the way.

There are other dangers in store for you beyond falling to your death. Some floors are trapped with spikes and there are Jaffur’s guards to contend with as well. These guards are dealt with by using a little swordplay. The swordplay is pretty simple in the game, controlled by an attack and a block button. The first guards that you’ll encounter won’t give you too much trouble, but they become faster and more adept as the game progresses and you’ll find that they provide plenty of challenge in spite of the simple parry/thrust nature of the battles.

The basics of gameplay here are, well, pretty basic. The thing that really adds challenge to the game is the ticking of the clock. You only have an hour of game time to reach the end and save the princess. The game is divided into levels and you can save the game at each juncture, so you don’t need to worry about making it to the end in one sitting. However, the time you spend in each level is added to the total, so you don’t have any time to waste.

Whether or not you’ll find yourself enjoying this game really comes down to answering a single question: would you enjoy playing a game in which most of the challenge came from trying to beat your best time through the game? The game has online leaderboards that let you compare your times against those of other gamers, if that helps to provide you additional motivation. Another thing to take into consideration is that the controls can be a little frustrating at times. The prince’s moves have long animated sequences that can make it hard to judge exactly where he’ll stop or land. A little misjudgment on your part can kill your time in a level.  If this all doesn't sound like your idea of a good time, then it probably won't be.  Otherwise you'll probably enjoy this nice update of one of the true classics of computer gaming.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 80%. A good update of a classic game, but you’ll only enjoy it if you enjoy classic gameplay.