I’m still unsure as to which grade to give it, because the game’s flaws are so annoying that I’d never have gone so far by myself (or without a walkthrough), but on the other hand I feel much more immersed in it than I ever did in Tomb Raider: the levels and puzzles are far less artificial, and character moves and control feel more real (maybe also because I’m less troubled by a prince with magical powers running up the walls than a modern-day adventurer doing flawless somersaults by the sole power of her boobs). The repetitive and ultimately claustrophobic aspect of the settings, the chase scenes (much more interesting, though much harder, than Legend’s pathetic “interactive” scenes — it’s quite a compliment to the Prince’s control scheme that you can make its equivalent chase scenes really, completely interactive… even though some poorly placed cameras occasionally make things harder than they need to be), the fake ending, it’s all very realistic and coherent… but a bit boring, too. So we didn’t finish it, but I have no regrets about playing it.

I hope to get an opportunity to play The Sands of Time someday, as it must have all the same qualities as this one, without the flaws. (I’m a casual gamer, so I really don’t mind that the game is shorter and less hard.)