'Two Thrones' Reigns Supreme

A sneak attack in "The Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones." (Ubisoft/ign.com)

When UbiSoft introduced the updated version of the PC classic "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" on current-generation consoles -- it blew everyone away. With beautiful visuals, incredible action and great storyline, it was dazzling. Although the creators sort of lost their way with the sequel, "Warrior Within," they are back on course with their latest, "The Two Thrones." Without question, this is by far the best game of the series.

It opens with the Prince sailing home to Babylon with the Empress Kaileena. Much to the Prince's surprise, upon entering the harbor of Babylon, it is in chaos: war-torn buildings, citizens turned into slaves and enemy soldiers ruling the streets. Once again, the Prince is thrown into battle, and he sets forth to discover who is responsible and restore peace to his land.

Unique this time around is the inclusion of the Dark Prince. Throughout the game's lengthy campaign, the Prince will morph between his normal self and the Dark Prince. As the Dark Prince, you are more powerful in combat -- able to take more damage and wield a wicked new weapon: the DaggerTail (picture a whip with sharp edges). While the Dark Prince is trying to gain a stronger foothold in his psyche by performing violent actions against the enemy, the good in the Prince is all about heroism and saving others. How both sides play a part in the story gives "The Two Thrones" a cinematic feel.

There are plenty of enemies and some cool new ways to take care of them. This time around you have speed kills. To execute a speed kill, you can either sneak up behind an enemy or strike from above. To engage in a speed kill, players must complete a sequence of button pushes. One missed cue and you'll have to fight the old-fashioned way -- with sword in hand. If, however, you manage to hit all the cues correctly, players are treated to an over-the-top, extremely violent kill animation.

Visually, the game is total eye candy from the Prince's flawless animations to the breathtaking environments. Although the game looks phenomenal on all systems, it looks best on the PC -- just make sure you have a strong enough graphics card.

Add excellent voice acting and a terrific orchestral score, and you have a terrific action adventure.

-- Tom Ham

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Mature, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC ($49.99) UbiSoft/UbiSoft Montreal