 Free
time is something that is in short supply for me. My teaching profession
does allow me more free time during the summer than most folks.
Around 1990 I was introduced to a computer game at the beginning
of my summer free time. I played Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego
off and on for the summer. I guessed correctly that computer games could
become cheap and safe thrills for some and an educational aide for others.
At about the same time I was introduced to the "Nintendo version" of various
games. The Prince Of Persia CD Collection reminds me of what I saw back
then.
INSTALLATION:
The two games in this collection, Prince Of Persia The Original
Adventure , and Prince of Persia The Shadow And The Flame must
be installed with your Win95 system restarted in MS-DOS mode. This is not
difficult to do for most users, but it does show how little effort was
made on Broderbund's
part to update the program. You can install one or both of the programs.
They cannot be run off of the CD, so you must plan on at least 7MB of space
per game to be filled. The installation was not as smooth as most programs
today.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
286, 10MHz, DOS 2.11, 640K RAM, 2MB for digital sounds, VGA card and
monitor, cd ROM drive (The original game requires 1.44MB 3.5" disk drive.)
Can you remember when that kind of hardware was pushing the envelope? An
unconfirmed source claims that it will run on an 8088 with a monochrome
monitor.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
These games were simple to load and play. The graphics in these games
will not impress you at all. You see only two dimensional images that try
to imitate three dimensional images. The CD Collection allowed me to use
a joystick, but I found myself moving my fingers to the keyboard for better
control of the games. The plot in these games are simple, but the action
comes at a fair pace. I felt like I was playing a more colorful type of
"Tetris" game.
My eight year old son likes the games. I let a couple of sixteen
year old boys play both games. They both thought the games were "fun, but
a little too simple" for them. My five year old daughter is learning some
keyboarding skills while trying to play the game. It is still beyond her,
but not for long.
The goal of each game, briefly, is to get the prince through a series
of hazards, fights, etc., to reach a goal. Some strategy is required. It
is best obtained by experience. You do not need to buy a hint book. It
is a sophisticated version of "Pac Man." I feel that an adult can put his
brain more or less in neutral in order to play these games. If you are
accustomed to very sophisticated graphics, these games will disappoint
you. If you want simple fun, you will be more or less pleased. The $19.95
price tag at CompUSA is also attractive.
SUMMARY:
This CD collection should run on anyone's old PC as well as on the
new ones. The graphics are two dimensional and simplistic in comparison
to many other games on the market. These games are easy to learn. The strategy
is not difficult. An adult computer novice or a child would probably like
them. These games can be somewhat "addictive", due to the continuous action.
On my scale of one to four jalapenos I give the Prince Of Persia CD Collection
two jalapenos. Enjoy!
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