Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Unofficial Strategy Guide V1.00 By rmsgrey ##Contents To rapidly find a section of this guide, copy the exact wording from the following list, and paste/type it into the "find" dialog (bring up the find dialog by pressing Ctrl-F in Microsoft products) with an added leading '#' character. #Contents #Introduction Blurb Change History Contact Details #Environment Features Traps #Enemies Indian Guards Sand Creatures Vizier #Combat Analysis Tips #Walkthrough Start 2% The Maharajah's Treasure Vaults 5% 'You have unleashed the Sands of Time' 7% 'Had I really seen her?' 10% A Secret Passage 12% The palace's defense system 14% A booby-trapped courtyard 17% Death of a Sand King 19% 'I'll try to find a way in' 21% Climbing the tower 24% The warehouse 28% The Sultan's zoo 28% Atop a bird cage 33% Climbing waterfall 33% The baths 33% 'There's something glowing up there' 33% Above the baths 40% A long buried secret 43% Daybreak 46% A soldiers' mess hall 46% The Drawbridge 50% A broken bridge 52% 'I'll meet you at the baths' 55% Waterfall 57% A cavern of ladders 60% An underground reservoir 62% Out of the well 65% The Sultan's harem 65% 'What did you call me?' 69% The Hall of Learning 71% Observatory 75% Hall of Learning courtyard 75% On the ramparts 79% A prisoner seeking an escape 81% 'At last we're here!' 83% The Hourglass 90% The tomb 90% 'Farah, come back!' 93% Climbing the Tower of Dawn 95% The setting sun 98% Honor and glory #Legal Disclaimer Distribution ##Introduction #Blurb This is my first attempt at writing a game guide. I was inspired to do this by all the great walkthroughs for games on GameFAQs, and the fact that none of them seemed to have picked up on the underlying structure of combat in this game. Rather than just moan about it, I decided to do something. This is the result. The actual walkthrough took me a weekend and a couple of evenings to produce, and the rest of the guide was created the nexty weekend. Apart from the last magic fountain, the secret to unlocking PoP1, and the dripping water trick for the doorways puzzle, all of which I got by reading existing guides on GameFAQs, everything in the walkthrough I discovered myself. I'm deliberately not including information on basic controls etc that can easily be found in the game documentation, in other guides, and by paying attention to the text that appears near the bottom of the screen in game if you have the tutorial option active. The entire guide is based on the PlayStation 2 PAL distribution of the game, though I expect most of what I've written will still apply to other versions of the game. The known exception is the PS2 specific unlock for the original Prince of Persia game. #Change History 7/5/04 Work started. 16/5/04 Version 1 completed. #Contact Details To comment on this, or any future FAQs I may produce, send me an email, including "FAQ" and the game title in the subject, at g-r-e-y-r-m-s@hotmail.com (remove the dashes to get the actual address). Any constructive suggestions will be gratefully recieved. ##Environment #Features I have tried to keep to a more or less consistent naming scheme throughout the walkthrough. This section covers the common features of the environment that the prince can interact with in some way (even if only by jumping off them). Because the game is set in a rich and detailed environment, environmental features with the same function can often have different appearances. While I generally describe things by function, there are times I use their appearance instead. Some of the items described in this section are also described when they first appear in the walkthrough. Rubble A pile of solid chunks of rock or other construction material. Rubble can usually be climbed (up or down) and often provides the way forwards. Wall/Cliff A vertical surface. The Prince can run up or along smooth walls, and throughout the walkthrough I refer to such activity as wall running. I try to make it clear which direction you need to run in in each case. If in doubt, it's probably best to keep going in the same direction as you were. While wall running, you can jump directly away from the wall. It's also possible to "wall jump" in the best Mario style - using the brief moment when you land on a wall before falling off to jump away from the wall. If you have two parallel walls, depending on how close they are, wall jumping in this fashion can gain or lose height in a safe fashion. Floor/Ground Simple enough. The Prince walks on this. Because very little of the game takes place in situations where you're clearly at ground level, I tend to refer to floor rather than ground even in caves and caverns. Generally the floor is the lowest level within a room, though spike pits and similar holes can allow you to drop below floor level. Not every room has a clear floor - in which case I don't refer to one. Room/Chamber/Cavern A reasonably large, mostly enclosed space. Generally the game can be regarded as a series of rooms connected by corridors, with a few oddments that are hard to classify. Generally, each room is self contained, and, with a few exceptions, once you leave a room, you never need return. Courtyard Basically the same thing as a room, but with no ceiling. Corridor/Passage/Tunnel Used to connect rooms together. Also often have traps or minor skirmishes with opponents. Crack A thin crack or hole that Farah can fit through and you can't. Used to allow her to bypass various traps, to become separated from you for a while, or to reach switches, levers, etc. that you can't. Symbol The symbol appears on the loading screen, and on many significant objects during the game. It looks like a smaller circle offset inside a larger circle, with various other squiggles inside them. During the game it appears in various colours (white, yellow, orange) and generally indicates a switch/lever/crank or the (same colour) gate it opens. It also appears (in black) on moveable crates. (Floor) Switch A pressure plate, usually set into the floor, though they also appear on walls, with the symbol on it. Tread on it to activate. Some have lasting effects, others wear off after a limited time, in which case you need to reactivate if you want to renew the effect. Lever Either a horizontal bar suspended from above at both ends, in which case hanging from it activates it, or a horizontal bar attached to a wall, which can be pulled away from the wall to activate, and gradually retracts. The former's effect is generally either permanent, or only lasts while someone hangs from the lever, while the latter type usually opens a gate that slowly closes as the lever retracts, while simultaneously activating a set of traps in the way which remain active until the gate is fully closed (and the lever fully retracted). At any time, you can pull the lever out again. Both types of lever are usually associated with a nearby symbol. Crank A short hub with a pole sticking out horizontally. Holding the pole, walk clockwise or anticlockwise around the hub depending on the crank. Some cranks only move in quarter turns, while others can be left at any angle. Some trigger an effect after a full rotation (and are immobile thereafter) while others trigger different effects depending on which way the pole points. Gate/Door An openable barrier set into a wall. There are also a large number of "doors" in the game which can't be opened by any means. Most gates are opened by a nearby switch/crank/lever with the symbol in a matching colour. During the walkthrough, gates are often referred to by the colour of their symbol. Some gates can be seen through, others are totally opaque, but either way, you can't attack, or be attacked through them. Breakable Wall During the course of the game, you get to upgrade your sword. Once you have, it becomes possible to break through certain patches of wall or closed gates by hitting them three times with your sword. Breakable walls are usually cracked or broken and generally different from the surrounding walls. Later magic fountains (below) are usually hidden behind breakable walls. Breakable Objects/Barrels From time to time, you will encounter wooden objects that can be broken by your sword. Often these will block doorways, levers or switches. Crate/Stone Block/Statue etc. An indestructible object which can be pushed around and used to hold down switches or as a step to reach high places. Pool A relatively shallow body of water that the Prince can wade through. While standing in it, it's possible to drink from it to restore health. Fountain A small basin set into any of several walls during the game. It contains water, and drinking from it restores health. Magic Fountain One of ten mysterious places, all of which have a distinctive feel to their approach ways (whispering sounds in the air and blue veils suspended from the ceiling). At the end of the approach, you find yourself in the same place - at one end of a wooden bridge, which goes to the top of a central pillar, where several other bridges also end. Once you reach the last plank of the bridge, the Prince will approach the large basin there and automatically drink. After a brief cutscene, you will reappear near the (now sealed) entrance to the approach way, be fully healed, and have your health extended. Sand Cloud A glowing white cloud at ground level. Each time you retireve one, your sand and power tanks are refilled. Retrieving 8 of these with your dagger will give you an extra sand tank. Retrieving all 48 will give you the maximum 10 sand tanks. Save Point A glowing yellow/orange vortex of sand. Usually formed by winning a combat, there are a few which (apparently) exist independently. Entering each one for the first time gives you a vision of the near future, which serves as hints for navigating upcoming rooms. After the vision (or instead of it if you revisit a save point) you are given the save menu, which, in addition to giving you a chance to save, also allows you to replay the vision. There are some places where you are given the chance to save without the associated vision. Ladder Two parallel poles connected by perpendicular rungs. In addition to the obvious (climbing up and down), the Prince can jump away from them, and can flip sideways round to the other side of the ladder. Rope One of the last pieces of acrobatic equipment you encounter. They hang from the ceiling and can swing on two axes. The Prince can climb up and down or change his facing by one quarter while the rope is stationary. While swinging, he can change facing or jump off. Bar A narrow horizontal pole that the prince can use in his gymnastics. These range from steel bars that stretch across entire corridors, to flagpoles, wooden sticks with one end embedded in the wall, or even tree branches. The Prince can move along them, or can swing on them. Whether swinging or not, he can turn around to face the opposite direction (at the top of his swing). If not swinging, he can drop down from a bar. If swinging, he can jump off just after the bottom of his swing. I descibe that jumping off maneuver as "swinging from the bar" (to whatever). Column/Tree A vertical pole that is narrow enough for the Prince to cling to. He can ascend, descend or rotate to any of the four cardinal directions. He can also jump away from the column. Stalactite Similar to a column, except that these always hang downwards, and break a little while after the Prince lands on them, or immediately he jumps away from them, whichever comes sooner. Pillar Anything that's too thick to be a column, but could be reasonably described as one normally gets called a pillar instead. Platform This is a real catch-all. Any roughly horizontal surface that is large enough for the Prince to walk in all four directions but not important enough to be called the floor can be referred to as a platform. Balcony/Outcropping/Rooftop Used from time to time when I got bored of "platform". Pretty much what you'd expect them to mean. Collapsing platform Only found in one or two places, these platforms start shaking as soon as the Prince reaches them, then collapse a little while later. If you don't reach firm footing before it falls, so will you. Ledge A narrow projection from a wall, or a narrow groove cut into a wall. Either way, the Prince can hang from it, and, in some cases, stand on the top of it, but it's too narrow to walk towards or away from the associated wall, meaning the Prince can only sidle along the wall or jump away from it (he can't even wall run). In situations where more than one ledge runs parallel for a reasonable distance, often section of ledge will break away as the Prince approaches, forcing you to drop down or climb up to another ledge to progress. With the standard vertical spacing employed, the Prince can jump up one ledge at a time, or drop down up to two ledges safely, though if he drops down two ledges at once, rather than standing on top of the lower ledge, he'll land hanging from it. Some ledges can't be walked on, only hung from, in which case the Prince can jump away from the wall while hanging. Being hit while standing on a ledge causes the Prince to drop to hang from it. Being hit while hanging causes him to lose his grip and drop. Beam A ledge without the associated wall. A platform sufficiently narrow that the Prince can only walk along and not across it. He can jump in four directions (five if you count straight up) or walk along the top of the beam. If he overbalances, he will drop down to hang from one side of the beam or the other. While hanging, the Prince can maneuver as though hanging from a ledge. (Beam of) Light A beam of light that can be reflected off mirrors. Apart from occasionally interfering wiht visibility, the light's only purpose is to be reflected onto the symbol where it's carved into the wall, causing it to glow yellow and act like a triggered switch. Mirror Used to reflect light. There are three types: fixed, rotatable and movable. Fixed mirrors just sit there, and can be used to bounce light around. Rotatable mirrors sit in the path of a vertical beam of light and can reflect it to any of four directions. Movable mirrors have a fixed direction, but sit on pedestals that can be dragged around to place the mirror in the path of a beam, and change its direction by a quarter turn. #Traps There are numerous devices encountered during the game whose primary purpose is to hurt intruders. Contact is invariably painful, and generally also knocks the Prince back. This isn't generally a problem, but there are situations where getting knocked back by one trap knocks you into another. Deep Pit OK, so this isn't exactly a trap, but it's still pretty lethal. If you fall too far, you get hurt. If you fall a bit further, you get killed. If the hole's deep enough, you may not even hit the ground... Spiky Poles Move in a simple back and forth pattern. Contact hurts and can knock you back a little. Their path is generally marked out by what look like grooves on the floor. They travel at about the same speed as the Prince runs, but you can usually evade them with a little thought. Spike Pit Simple yet effective. A hole in the floor/ground filled with sharp pointy objects. If you fall in, it's game over (unless you rewind). They can often be jumped, or have a nearby wall you can run along. Rotating Blade A central hub with a horizontal scimitar-style blade projecting at about waist level. The blade pauses a while, then sweeps halfway around the hub, pauses again, then completes the rotation. Often blocking hallways, the key to passing these safely is timing. If you time it right, you can roll under the blade as well, and it's sometimes possible to use nearby walls to go over the trap as well. Saw Blades A large circular saw blade,moving back and forth along a track. They often run parallel to ledges, in which case you need to drop down, climb up or just not be on the ledge as appropriate to avoid them. The other common usage is moving vertially across your path when you want to run along a wall. Good timing will see you past safely. While they don't do a great deal of damage directly, because they're often associated with spike pits or simple lack of floor, a knock from one of these will often prove indirectly fatal. Spike Traps Dark brown perforated pressure plates in the floor, these traps sprout a number of sharp spikes if you move too quickly through the space above them. Getting hit by one means the Prince gets stuck momentarily - if another trap can hit you there, one hit quickly becomes several. It's often possible to use a nearby wall to pass over these traps, and generally it's rare that you actually have to tread on one. Spiked Jaws A pair of slightly curved wooden pincers that sweep out of a nearby wall like a pair of scissors, then swing back. These are often (but not always) associated with walls you want to run up or along. Timing is everything. Spiked Pendulum A spiky log suspended at both ends that swings back and forth with its length parallel to the awis of rotation. On its rare appearances, there's no way to avoid the region it sweeps through, so you just have to time your move and run through the danger zone as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught. If you drop and roll you can sometimes avoid a blow, but if you're directly below the pivots, then even that won't save you. (Very) Long Blades A long blade that sticks out of the wall, and sweeps rapidly along the corridor towards you. They do a fair amount of damage and knock the Prince over, which often means you want to think before getting up again - getting up at the wrong moment will just leave you on your back again. The very long version stretch across an entire corridor, while the ordinary version just covers about 2/3. To make up for it, they often come paired with another set on the opposite wall. It is sometimes possible to roll under a blade if you time it right, and running up a wall at the right moment can get you above them. Otherwise, just keep dodging from one side of the corridor to the other as the blades flash past you. ##Enemies #Indian Guards Guard with spear. Guard with sword. Both of them go down pretty easily, and I've never bothered to leave them alive long enough to find out what the differences between them are. Unfortunately, you only meet them during the very first part of the game. #Sand Creatures During the walkthrough, each type of sand creature is referred to by a single letter. At their first appearance, there's also a brief reminder (in brackets) of which weapon they carry. The entries here are given by letter. (Sand King) This guy only appears once, so doesn't get a letter. Assuming you haven't taken too much damage getting past his bodyguards he shouldn't pose too much trouble, particularly if you can use the dagger to freeze him. (bats) These appear by the flock and the remnant run away once they're down to 3 or fewer. Because they move semi-randomly, it's hard to judge when to swing to hit them, but random swings are reasonably effective. They tend to scatter after a sword swing, so it's possibly worth pausing to let them regroup after every few slashes. They don't do much damage in themselves, but because they tend to attack when you're above a long drop, ignoring them is often fatal. A(axe) The weakest sand creature that you can retrieve sand from. They carry a short axe and move fairly slowly. They also stop appearing fairly early. Pretty much any method of attack should flatten them easily. B(blue Spear) These guys appear fairly early (17%) and keep appearing all the way through (95%). The blue refers to their clothing rather than their twin bladed polearm, which gives them a pretty good reach. They're one of only two retrievable sand creatures that knock you back when you try vaulting them. On the plus side you can block all their attacks, so if you get surrounded you can always go defensive and wait for them to knock each other over. C(club) Tougher than A, they're still pretty slow moving, but pack a bigger punch. They're also pretty fat. Another opponent I never spent much time worrying about. D(daggers) These formerly lovely ladies were presumably members of the Sultan's harem before the sands. They're also the only females in the game apart from Farah (and maybe some of the animals?). They can block regular attacks, but if you concentrate several attacks on one, you'll batter through their guard, after which they fold pretty easily. The other major problem with them is that they can unleash a slashing triple hit combo which eats away your health, and is one of the most damaging enemy attacks in the game. G(giant with hammer) These guys are one of the two largest sand creatures, and probably have the longest range, allowing them to hit you from the other side of a fallen comrade. They also have an unblockable sweeping attack, and are depressingly good at blocking. Luckily they're also pretty slow, and, if you pay attention, you should have no problems evading their clumsy (but powerful) attacks. Their first appearance is still pretty early (24%) and they continue to appear till near the end (95%). H(hook) These guys look similar to A and C, but are a little taller and a lot leaner. They can move faster and hit slightly harder, and block more. They often block the second hit of a vaulting attack, but compared to the company they normally keep they're mostly there to keep the numbers up. K(knight) These guys are probably the toughest enemies in the game. They're as big as the giants, if anything hit even harder, also have an unblockable sweeping attack, can block pretty much any attack you throw at them, are the second enemy type to counter vaulting attacks, and recover fast enough that even if you hit them with the first attacks in a chain, they'll block the later ones. R(red spear) As with B, who they closely resemble, and often hang out with, the colour refers to their clothing rather than their weapon. Unlike B, these common enemies sucker for vaulting attacks and are generally easier to take down. Their single bladed polearm gives them a decent reach though, and in their early appearances they're often the biggest threat. S(scarab) These desert beetles are destroyed outright by a few blow from your sword or arrows from Farah's bow. They don't refill your dagger or create save points, but they're probably the easiest encounters you'll have. When crawling along the floor of dusty corridors they can be hard to spot, but their glowing orange wings give them away when they hover. V(vulture) These birds' swooping attacks are easily blocked, and a well timed counter- attack will finish them off. Equally, a single arrow from Farah picks them out of the sky with ease. While there are often several circling, only one or two will actively attack you at once. Their habit of hovering just out of reach means you can only hit them by catching them either as they attack, which requires good timing, or as they recover from a failed attack. X(chain) A moderate strength sand creature, armed with a chain, they have reasonable speed and reach, and can sometimes block, but a concerted attack will break through their block. They tend to appear in company with D (later with B as well) and are probably at a comparable power level. #Vizier For completeness sake, the final fight is with a series of 3 clones of the Vizier. In terms of fighting capabilities, they're pretty similar to B, but adopt a more defensive style and have a very limited window of vulnerability after their attacks. They also require rather more damage to put down. Keep your guard up and keep swinging when you see an opportunity and they should go down. ##Combat #Analysis At least in the PS2 PAL version of the game, there are limits on how many enemies appear "onscreen" at once. With the exception of bats, the Indian Guards early on, and possibly the final boss, fights have a limited number of enemies in the local area, and replace them as they are defeated. I believe, and limited experimentation confirms, that the order in which replacements appear is fixed. Also, in several fights, rather than instantly replacing each destroyed opponent throughout the fight, the fight is broken into "waves", each with their own initial population and replacement list. Once the last enemy from a given wave is destroyed, the initial population of the next wave appears. The end of the last wave of a fight is (with two exceptions) marked by the Prince sheathing his sword. During the walkthrough, apart from bats, the final boss, and the early Indian guards, fights are shown as follows: ::Combat Wave 1 (n): LMN+OPQ Wave 2 ... where n is the (maximum) number of enemies "onscreen" during the fight, or, in the case of vultures, the (maximum) number actively attacking rather than circling at any given time. LMN, before the '+', are the initial population of enemies, and OPQ, appearing after the '+' are the replacement list (in order of appearance). Combats have up to four waves. #Tips *Your feet aren't glued to the floor. Standing still trading blows with one opponent is an open invitation to his buddies to surround you. Before you know it, you're forced into all out defence, while trying to spot an opening as blows rain down on your sword from all sides. If you keep moving, then your opponents will get in each other's way, and let you face them one at a time. *Choose your targets. Certain enemies may be easy to pick off, but bear in mind that, by leaving the tougher enemies alive, as more tough enemies show up as replacements for the weak ones you pick off, you'll quickly find yourself facing three or four of the nastiest enemies around. If you kill the nasty enemies by preference, then you'll only have at most one or two of them to contend with at once, and things will generally be easier. Of course the one drawback of this scheme is that when you get a fight where all the enemies are tough, you're less used to dealing with multiple tough foes at once. On the other hand, unless they're all the same type, some of them will still be weaker than others... *Knocked-down needn't mean dead. While you may be able to finish off enemies as fast as you can press the buttons, it's often worth leaving a couple lying on the floor for a while rather than automatically retrieving their sand. Yes, if you leave them too long they'll get up again, but if you finish them, they'll be replaced immediately, possibly by something nastier. By leaving them lying down you can concentrate on a tough opponent without worrying so much about what's sneaking up behind you. Also, keeping the enemies face down buys time for Farah's health to recover, which can be an issue in some of the longer fights. *Frozen needn't mean shattered. While freezing enemies with the dagger then shattering them in mid-air can be entertaining, you can just freeze them to take them out of circulation for a while. Better still, freeze them then hit them once. They'll fly through the air in slow motion while you deal with another opponent, and when the freeze wears off, they'll be already knocked down and ripe for retrieval, which gets you back half the sand you spent on freezing them. By knocking down them retrieving from frozen enemies, you can freeze half your foes rather than the one in three you'd get by shattering. *Violence isn't the best answer. In a lot of cases, you can ignore opponents and just run straight past a fight rather than engaging in all that tedious time-consuming swordplay. I find I can knock about 25% off my completion time (OK, my '98%' time since the game doesn't give you your completion time) by ignoring fights when possible - and still finish the game with a maximum ten power tanks. As a general rule, if Farah's with you, you have to fight (there are a couple of times when she's in a safe corner while you're in the area and runs safely through the combat zone during a cutscene), and there are a couple of times you need to fight in order to trigger a cutscene to progress. Oh, and don't try evading vultures or bats when you're poised above an abyss - they'll tend to knock you in very efficiently. In addition, there are some fights where you can save time by not fighting, but because you have to move blocks or similar in the fight area, it's a high risk strategy and can get very frustrating. *Obey your thirst. If your health gets too low, most fights have a nearby water supply you can use to replenish your health. If you manage to knock most of your opponents down in a short space of time, or just get a little lucky, you can often have enough time to restore a fair amount of health before the enemies get round to hitting you again. Even if you only get one gulp of water, in most fights, that's more than enough to cover any damage you take as a result. Anythign beyond that is pure profit. The other time to go for a drink is when the last enemy of the wave is around - knock him down and you'll have plenty of time to refresh yourself before he comes after you again. *You can always put your sword away. If you want to cover a lot of ground in a hurry during a fight (say Farah's in trouble, or you really need a drink), it may be worth stowing your sword so that you can run rather than cautiously backing away from the nearest enemy. The catch is that enemies warping near you seem to knock you down more readily when you don't have your sword out. On the other hand, if you run along a wall or something, you can evade all enemy attacks between yourself and your destination. *Watch your own back. While Farah's bow helps her to survive in fights, and she does occasionslly give you an opening by damaging an enemy near you, she tends not to shoot at an opponent if you're actively engaging it, and also has a distressing tendency to hit the Prince from time to time - particularly if you're trying to stay mobile. As well as keeping half an eye on Farah's health, it's worth trying to stay aware of her location so you can keep an enemy between you to help block stray arrows for you. ##Walkthrough NB - Throughout the early section of this guide I make references to "tutorial text". If "tutorial on" has been selected in the options menu, from time to time through much of the game (at least as far as 60%) text will appear at the bottom of the screen, telling you how to perform certain actions. During the early portion of the game, this text appears almost constantly, and generally gives pretty specific hints as to how to navigate the areas you find yourself in. Later text simply introduces previously unused skills the first few times you come across a situation that uses them. NB - Throughout the walkthrough, I use "clockwise" and "anticlockwise" as directions. These always refer to directions as viewed from above. When inside a room, chamber, or enclosed courtyard, clockwise is to the right when facing the outer wall. When outdoors, moving around the outside of a building, clockwise is to the left when facing the building. #Start The game begins with the Prince standing on a balcony outside a lighted room. Go inside to trigger a lengthy cutscene. When you regain control, you are in the entrance to the Maharajah's castle, a courtyard leading to gates which friendly soldiers are attacking with a ram. Rubble blocks the gate you came in through behind you, but to the right, fallen masonry forms a rough stair. Tutorial text at the bottom of the screen describes basic movement and camera controls. Approach the fallen masonry to the right and as you walk towards each block the prince will climb it. Tutorial text tells you how to jump the gap, so do so. If you fall slightly short, the prince will hang from the egde, and tutorial text will tell you how to climb up or drop down from ledges, so climb up. Follow the top of the rubble round until the tutorial text tells you how to run up walls - the prince should be facing a wall, so run up it to stand on top of the dividing wall between the approach you started in and the jungle outside. Tutorial text tells you how to switch camera modes. An explosion blasts a pit ahead which you need to cross - either by jumping as the tutorial text suggests, or by dropping down and running up the far wall. At the end of the wall, turn right to cross the wooden platforms. The tutorial text reminds you how to jump the gap, so do. On the far side, you get another reminder of how to switch camera modes. Go through the doorway on the left and through the room. As you approach the barricade on the far side, tutorial text tells you how to draw your sword. Doing so causes it to then tell you how to smash obstacles. doing so clears your way to leave the room onto a walkway where a guard is waiting. His presence will be emphasised by a brief cutscene. If you wish, you can ignore the guard and simply run up the ladder halfway along on the right. If you choose to fight, tutorial text will tell you some basic combat controls. If you win the fight, you'll then be told how to put your sword away. Approaching the ladder triggers more tutorial text, this time on (guess what) climbing ladders. At the top of the ladder, you find yourself once more on a walkway atop a wall, this time patrolled by two guards. In case climbing the ladder caused you to forget how to handle a sword, tutorial text helpfully reminds you. This time (and in all future combat) disposing of all the enemies triggers a brief cutscene in which the prince sheathes his sword. Again, you can evade the fight and simply run through the door on the left. The guards will not pursue. The prince starts a voice-over as you approach the pool of water within, which gives you the chance to heal any damage taken. Once past the pool, you come to another doorway leading back outside, again blocked by breakable wooden objects which your sword can smash through easily. Once past the doorway, a cutscene shows a number of guards (four) waiting on the level below. Since the level you are on has a large chunk missing where a handy pile of rubble provides a ramp down, and since you can't get through the doors at the far end anyway, you have little choice but to descend. Once again the tutorial reminds you how to draw your sword, but this time once the fight starts, it provides a handy hint on how to target a specific enemy with an attack. Once more you can bypass the fight entirely by just running past, but either way, you end up indoors once again through the open doorway at the far end of the platform. After a twisting passage, you emerge onto a wooden walkway just as the middle gets blasted away by a missile. Approaching the gap will trigger tutorial text on how to run along walls. Crossing the two gaps by running along the wall on the right will take you to a ladder up. With the helpful tutorial text to remind you how, climb it. At the top, use the doorway to the left to go indoors. Take advantage of the pool to heal any wounds before continuing to another walkway, patrolled by four guards. As you emerge onto the walkway, a cutscene shows a missile blasting a hole in the palace wall around the corner from the far end of the platform. With tutorial hints, jump up to hang from the ledge at the far end of the platform (again, you can evade combat and go straight there), making your way along to the left. Once you pass under the large stone head, pull yourself up and jump to grab the higher ledge. Around the corner, drop down to the lower ledge before the next stone head and then at the far end of the ledge drop above the hole in the wall. The prince will catch the lip of the hole and can enter the palace. Isisde you face combat with four guards, during which tutorial text reveals the secret to vaulting over enemies. Approaching one of the columns in the room (the unbroken one without a square base) triggers tutorial text on climbing columns. Climb to the top, then jump from column to column counterclockwiseto the opposite corner. From the top of that column, jump to the balcony. Entering the corridor leading from the balcony gives you your first chance to save. #2% The Maharajah's Treasure Vaults After a short distance, the corridor drops into a pit. The water at the bottom of the pit can be used to restore any lost health, and you can easily jump up the ledges at the near end to get back out. Approaching the left hand wall brings up tutorial text telling you how to run along walls, so do so (an alcove in the right-hand wall causes you to fall if you try running along it) to the far end of the pit. Following the corridor around a corner brings you to another pit. This time, the tutorial text triggers near the right-hand wall, and tells you how to run along a wall then jump from it. Running along the wall until nearly the last second and then jumping gets you to a ledge on the left before another watery pit, this time with an alcove halfway along the left-hand wall and the platform at the far end has closely spaced walls to left and right with a higher platform at the top of the left-hand wall. As suggested by more tutorial text, run along the right-hand wall and jump from wall to wall to reach the higher platform which leads through a curtained doorway. If you fall while wall-jumping, you can follow the tutorial text's suggestion of running up either wall and jumping from it - again wall-jumping to the top. Through the doorway, a cutscene gives your first glimpse of the dagger and hourglass of time. Dropping down to the floor below and approaching the hourglass causes the prince to explain why he wants the dagger instead, and lets you drink from the pools of water down there. The column near where you came in allows you to return to the upper level. Run along the wall to the right to the next platform, then (per tutorial text) run along the wall from there and jump to the platform above the hourglass. From there, run up the side of the left hand raised platform then continue around the room by running along walls twice moreto reach the arch opposite your entrance. Through the arch, a cutscene offers your first trap, and tutorial text helpfully suggests "avoid spiky poles". Drop down to the level of the spiky poles, then run past them - either following an outside pole after it reaches its nearest point then switching to the middle track once past the middle pole, or following the middle pole initially, and switching to the outside once the outside pole passes. Any damage incurred can be healed at the water in the next pit. To pass the next pit, run along the left-hand wall to the end to grab the ledge along the far wall. Move as far along the edge as you can, and (per tutorial text) jump to the ledge opposite. When that ledge ends, jump back again. Two more spiky poles will appear on the near and far sides of the platform at the end of the pit. To pass the next pit, run along the left wall, and jump to the ledge on the right wall. The platform at the end leads to daylight and a brief cutscene showing a wall with several ledges. Drop over the edge of platform, and you will find yourself on the topmost of three ledges. As you move along the ledges to the left, pieces will break away (just) before you reach them. To get past the gaps, you need to drop down and climb up between the ledges - you can drop from the top ledge to the bottom ledge safely. When you reach the left end of the ledges (on the bottom ledge), jump (per tutorial text) to the column to trigger a cutscene showing the route to the dagger. After four jumps from column to column you can slide down low enough to jump/drop off the column onto the platform below. Walk up the steps (there's a fountain on either side at the top if you're wounded) and jump up onto the platform to approach the statue. Run up the front of the statue onto the first hand, then (per tutorial text) run up the right hand wall and jump onto the other hand. From there, go left and run up a wall onto the statue's shoulder. As per tutorial text, run up the side of the statue's head, then jump from wall to wall until you reach the platform with the dagger. Approaching the dagger triggers a cutscene demonstrating its power and a voice-over from the prince. To take his advice, jump or run along the wall to the doorway to the right. In the corridor beyond, the floor falls away leaving spiky pits. Per tutorial text, run along the left wall and jump to the platform on the right. Then run along the right wall and jump to the left to enter a corridor with several spiky poles. Once past the three individual poles, there are 5 poles moving together filling the corridor. Follow closely behind them near either wall, and duck into the alcove while they pass, then quickly move to the end of the corridor. Drop down to a corridor with three spiky poles moving alternately along the corridor (like the first three you met) climb up the wall at the end of the corridor and run through the archway to trigger a cutscene and end the introductory dungeon. NB - From here on you'll be fighting sand creatures rather than human guards, so I'll give details on combats. I'll also stop mentioning the tutorial text, which thins out considerably anyway. When the cutscene ends, you immediately enter combat. Unlike previous fights, you have to do this one. ::Combat Wave 1 (3 enemies onscreen): A(axe)AR(red spear)+AR Wave 2 (3 enemies onscreen): AAR+AARA After the fight, a cutscene shows the prince entering the yellow pillar of light triggering a vision. These visions offer hints as to your near future. Following the vision you get a chance to save. #5% 'You have unleashed the Sands of Time' When you regain control, the prince will give another voice-over. There is water at the end of the room, and the rubble that fell in front of the gate has opened a way past it. After some corridors, you reach the next room and more voice-over. The first sand cloud lies under the collapsed staircase, so collect it. Almost directly under where you entered, jump up to grab the bar. Swing from bar to bar to the ledge, then run along the wall from platform to platform, run along the wall and jump to the bar and swing to the balcony to leave the room. The second sand cloud is on top of the pile of rubble to the right immediately upon leaving the room. Follow the corridors. When swinging from bar to bar, move sideways to line up with the next bar as necessary. Pass a fountain and enter the next room. Run along the wall to the bar, swing from bar to bar to reach the balcony, run along the wall to the bar and drop from bar to bar to reach the ground and the next fight: ::Combat Wave 1 (4): AAC(club)C+AC After the fight, in the corner anticlockwise of the bed, run up the wall, jump to the bar, turn, swing and jump off the wall to the next bar, turn and swing to the ledge. Jump up to the hole in the wall and the save point. #7% 'Had I really seen her?' From the save, pass the fountain, smash the obstacles in the doorway and turn right for the third sandcloud then return to the T and run up the wall at the end, jump to the bar, turn and swing back to the top of the wall. Enter the hole in the wall to the princes left and follow the corridor to find the first magic fountain. Upon return, descend cautiously, wall run or jump across the gap in the floor for sand cloud number four and descend. After the cutscene, you face another fight. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): S(scarab)SS+SSSSS Turn left at the T for the fifth sand cloud before entering the next room. Jump the gap and head outside for a cutscene. Run along the wall above the collapsing platform to the next balcony and return inside. Jump from column to column for four jumps, then to the ledges in the wall and drop to the platform. Run (anticlockwise) along the wall and jump from the shadow to the column. Slide down to face ::Combat Wave 1 (2): SS Collect sand cloud six and again run (anticlockwise) along the wall to jump from shadow to column. Jump from column to column twice then slide down. Climb and run up the wall of the pile in the corner of the room then run up the wall and jump to the bar. Swing from bar to bar to platform then jump to the platform with sand cloud seven. Continue anticlockwise by jumping from column to column to column to the wall and drop automatically to the platform. Drop and hang on the edge of the platform to move round to the ledges in the wall and drop down to the platform. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): SS Wall run (still anticlockwise) to swing from bar to bar to bar to platform. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): SS Climb over the railing and jump to the column then slide to the floor. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): AAD(daggers)D+AA Wave 2 (4): AADD+DDADAD #10% A Secret Passage The bookcase clockwise from the save point can be pulled aside to reveal the way forwards, but first, head to the far side fo the room for the eighth sand cloud and a new sand tank. Head to sand cloud 9 at the bottom of the stairs hidden behind the bookcase, then walk on the floor switch just beyond to open the gate. To cross the collapsed bridge, run along the wall and jump to the end of the bridge. Drag the crate onto the floor switch to hold it down and keep the door open. Pulling the lever under the same white symbol as was on the floor switches extends a drawbridge. As soon as you let go the drawbridge and lever begin to retract, so take a running jump off the end to reach the central platform. After the (still human) palace guard explains the goal of the puzzle, use the two cranks to maneuver the platform you're on to enable you to collect the axles. One of the walls of the room has a diagram of the grooves you have to maneuver the axles through. Tread on the lit symbol, turn the flat crank clockwise one quarter, turn the spiral crank clockwise one quarter, turn the flat crank anticlockwise three quarters and the spiral crank anticlockwise one quarter then tread on the new lit symbol. Turn the spiral crank clockwise one quarter, the flat crank clockwise two quarters, the spiral crank clockwise two quarters and tread on the newly lit symbol before turning the flat crank clockwise one quarter, the spiral anticlockwise one quarter and treading on the last symbol. Finally, turn the spiral crank clockwise one quarter, the flat crank anticlockwise one quarter and the spiral crank clockwise one quarter. After the cutscene, cross the drawbridge, climb the switch and jump up from the symbol on the floor to pull the lever and trigger the palace defence system. On your return down the ladder, you have another fight. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): RR #12% The palace's defense system Tiptoe through the spike traps past the spiky poles to the yellow symbol on the wall. Pull the lever below it to open the gate up ahead past the traps (also activated by the lever). As soon as you release the lever it begins to retract, and the gate to close. If you fail to make it through the gate in time you'll have to return to the lever. At least the traps deactivate when the gate is fully closed... At the top of the stairs, run past the spiky poles, then wall run along the right wall to the ledge. Walk along the ledge to the end, then jump across to the other ledge while the second sawblade is out of the way. Drop to hang from the ledge and move along under the blade, then climb up and jump to the next streatch of corridor. From there, wall run to the next ledge and make you way along, jumping to the other side of the corridor to dodge the twin saws. If the gate is too low to walk through, try rolling under it into the next room where a fight swiftly develops. By standing on raised platforms you can easily evade the enemies in this area, though this is only a very temporary solution. Sooner or later, you have to cross open ground. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): CCR+CRCRRCC #14% A booby-trapped courtyard NB - From here on you'll be coming across various levers, switches, cranks, gates and whatever else with a certain symbol on in various colours. Rather than explicitly saying "the gate with the orange symbol on it" I'll say "the orange gate" as shorthand (similarly for other colours and/or objects). Sand cloud 10 is tucked away in the corner of the courtyard clockwise from the save point behind a raised platform. Then run up a wall to trigger the white switch partway up it. This raises a pillar in the middle of the courtyard. Wall run up it then jump up to grab the bar and swing to reach the platform. Jump from the corner of the platform to the platform at the edge of the courtyard. Dodge the traps and jump from the yellow symbol to grab the lever. Swing through the gate, wall run from the raised blocks to jump to the ladder and climb up. Immediately after jumping diagonally across a corner, sand cloud 11 is to your right, with the second magic fountain accessible through the hole directly above the four spike traps (wall run from the raised block to grab the ledge and just follow the corridor). Wall run, swing from bar to bar to ledge, climb round the corner and jump to the platform. Wall run past the saw and jump to the platform. Run up the wall, climb onto the ledge and jump to the bar, turn, jump to the platform, wall run past one saw to the platform, then wall run again past the second saw and jump to the platform. From the far end of the platform, wall run past the saw and tread on the orange switch to open the orange gate you just passed. Wall run back past the saw and go through the gate. Pull the yellow lever and run along either wall past the saw. Past the rotating blade, run up the wall to trigger the white switch and jump off to land on the platform extended opposite. Jump up the ledges, jumping across to the opposite wall where necessary, and run along the wall past the twin saws to reach the gate. Through the gate you face a cutscene followed by your second obligatory combat. Take out the escorts before going for the Sand King himself. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): (Sand-King)B(blue spear)RR+RBRBRBBRRRBRB #17% Death of a Sand King Have a drink from the nearby fountain if needed then wall run or jump across the rooftops following Farah. Land on the roof-top balcony for another fight. This fight may be theoretically possible to evade, but in practice attempting it just leads to Farah getting herself killed. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): CCCD+DDCC Wave 2 (4): CCCD+DDD #19% 'I'll try to find a way in' Drinking from the pond will heal any damage taken. To the right at the top of the steps is sand cloud 12. The yellow gate can't be opened yet, so run along the wall past it, dropping through the collapsing platform to land on the green roof. Wall run to the next green roof, and again to the first bar. Swing from bar to bar until you reach the third green roof then turn around and wall run down to the roof below and thence to the platform with the orange crank. A full turn clockwise opens a gate below. Smashing the barrels lets you drop safely onto the lower platform, at the end of which waits sand cloud 13. There are also a number of sand creatures roaming, but since Farah is safely remote, you can ignore them. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): CDR+RCCR Wave 2 (3): DDR+DRRCR Don't forget about the sand cloud on your way inside. The save point appears in the center of the room. #21% Climbing the tower Climb the pile of rubble then run up the wall to the ledge. Walk around clockwise until the ledge crumbles, then jump to the bar. Swing from bar to bar until you reach the far wall and jump off it to continue bar-swinging up to the platform above. Going clockwise you reach a fountain blocked by various fragile objects where you can restore your health, or running along the wall anticlockwise past the saw to the next platform brings you to an obvious hole in the wall through which you will find the third magic fountain. Return past the saw if necessary to climb the ladder near where you first reached this platform. Wall running anticlockwise round the room from the platform at the top of the ladder will take you past two pairs of saw blades and trigger the yellow switch on the wall which opens the gate at the top of the ladder and bring you back to the gate with time to spare. Wall running clockwise means you have to go past a pair of saws after pressing the switch, which means you don't have a lot of time to judge your timing. Through the gate, it's time to rejoin Farah - go the only way you can until you find her, then stand on the yellow floor switch to let her in. Follow Farah until you enter the top of the warehouse. Run down the ramp and run along the wall to the white symbol and jump to the lever. Once Farah has done her bit, drop to the platform, avoiding the spiked jaws, and head up the newly available ramp. Pull out the yellow lever to trigger the local traps then zig-zag past the spiky columns and spike traps through the gate. Continue straight on to the end to re-enter the warehouse by the same entrance as originally. Go down the ramp to Farah, then down another ramp and jump to the next platform. Dodging the jaws, run along the wall again to reach the ramp leading up to the next hanging lever. Pull it, then head down the ramp and pull the next lever. After the next two levers, you'll meet Farah again on a platform only a little above the warehouse floor where more enemies wait. It is possible to evade them, but since you'll be running around them quite a bit, it's probably less effort to fight them. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): G(giant with hammer)RR+RRGRG Wave 2 (3): RRR+GRRR The fountains on either side of the gate will heal you. Sand cloud 14 is on top of one of the piles of crates along the wall. To progress, find the two loose crates (one on top of a pile, the other at floor level) and drag them so oone rests on each of the two white floor switches. Each switch causes a pillar to rise up, one at the front of Farah's platform, and one from the top of the platform against the wall. The first enables you to climb the platform (and reach the save point), and the second lets you reach the orange switch that opens the gate. #24% The warehouse After leaving the warehouse and passing a couple of spike-filled pits, you reach the zoo. Beside the stairs (on the right) as you arrive outdoors is sand cloud 15. As you advance you are ambushed by a number of enemies. Once more, it may be possible to evade them, but my attempts have always failed when Farah gets stuck and eventually dies. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): GGGG #28% The Sultan's zoo Climb up the nearby outcropping, then climb the palm tree, jump to the top of the outcropping, then drop down to the lower level on the other side. From the sandy depression take a running jump towards the gate, swing on the tree branch and land on top of the wall beside the gate. Dropping down on the other side of the wall, you will find a yellow floor switch in front of the gate that lets Farah rejoin you - just in time to be attacked by a flock of sand vultures. ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V(vulture)+VVV Within the little cave, there's a movable crate. Dragging it away reveals a crack behind it which Farah can explore to find the yellow lever that provides access to the giant birdcage. Ascend the cage by jumping to the lowest bar, swinging and jumping off the wall to the next bar, then swinging via another bar across the cage to the next platform. A clockwise wall run and you can jump up to another bar and swing from bar to bar across the cage to the next platform above. Going clockwise leads to a ladder up. At the top of the ladder wall run anticlockwise twice to reach a bar, whimmy to the middle of the cage and swing out to the last platform, from which a hole in the bars lets you jump to a grassy platform. Run up and jump away from the cliff face to swing from a bar and land atop the bird cage where a golden crank enables you to open a gate far below. Jump towards the save point. #28% Atop a bird cage Drop down several grassy platforms to drop onto a bar to swing from bar to bar to the gate leading onwards. Before passing through it, you need to allow Farah to catch up by going to the end of the platform and running up the wall to jump from the white symbol to pull the lever that causes a ladder to appear for Farah to climb to reach the gate. Go through the gate and down the ramp to find yourself facing a swarm of scarabs. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): SSS+SSSS Enter the chamber the scarabs emerged from and climb onto the raised platform. Destroy the two barrels there, and wall run along to jump from the yellow symbol and open the cage. Sand cloud 16 is inside on a raised platform. Meanwhile, at floor level, another moveable crate hides a crack for Farah to reach the floor switch that enables you to progress. Leave the chamber, head down the ramp and through the open gate. Destroy the objects blocking the yellow lever and pull it out to trigger the local traps and open the next gate. This time the rotating blades are guarded by floor spikes, meaning you need to choose which side of them to pass carefully. Rolling at the right moment causes the blade to pass harmlessly over you. Jump the first pit, then run along the wall with the twin saws to pass the second. Cautiously cross the spike traps then run through the gate before it closes. Jumping along the broken bridge enables you to reach the save point. #33% Climbing waterfall If you visit the save point, you need to return to the yellow gate you came in through. A wall run anticlockwise leads you to a platform with a tree on it. Climb that tree, then the tree on the platform above and jump to the long platform nearby to be attacked. You need to fight here. ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V+V A wall run clockwise takes you to a ledge, from the end of which you can jump to a tree, at the bottom of which is sand cloud 17. From the tree, jump to another tree, then to a third tree, and finally, at the top of the third tree, to a platform near the top of the waterfall, where more vultures await. ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V+VVVVVVV Heal as necessary in the pool then continue along the ledge and drop down onto the platform below. Along the broken bridge is the orange crank that opens the exit. A wall run and jump (from the green smear on the wall) to the tree anti clockwise from the platform starts your tree-jumping descent. After the second tree, you jump to a platform that leads to within sight of the exit platform. A clockwise wall run will take you there to rejoin the impatient Farah. If you wish, you can jump out along the bridge to revisit the save point. At the corner of the next passage scarabs attack. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): SSS By the drinking fountain, another swarm awaits. ::Combat Wave 1 (4?): SSSS+SSSSSS After healing, continue to arrive at the baths, where some sand creatures are hanging around. you can ignore them reasonably safely, but if you do, they'll still be around when you come back later, and things could get messy. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): X(chain)XXD+DDX Wave 2 (4): XXDD+DXDXDXDDX The save point, and some water are up the stairs. #33% The baths Up further stairs, you find a yellow floor switch in front of a yellow gate. Drag the nearby stone jar on its plinth to hold down the switch. Through the gate is your first encounter with a new trap - a spiked log swinging suspended by a pair of rods. Drop into the pit beyond (taking a small amount of damage from the fall) and cross the spiked pit (either jump or use the bars), run up either side wall, and jump until you reach the top and a second pendulum. Past that and through the gate lie the upper baths, with another fight. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): XXDD+DXXDD Wave 2 (4): XXXD+DDDXXX #33% 'There's something glowing up there' Once saved and healed, you need to press all three yellow switches to open the three yellow gates nearby. One can be held by pushing the nearby statue into it. Once you press the underwater switch, Farah will stand on it for you. The final switch needs to be pressed by running up the wall. Once pressed, you have a short time to get through the gate. Don't worry about getting shut in on the other side - the yellow floor switch just through the gate will let you out again. Collect sand cloud 18 on your way to the white crank. A half turn clockwise will drain some of the water in the main chamber, allowing you to run up and along walls where the prince's shoes would have been too damp to provide traction previously. Turn to the prince's right as you emerge into the main chamber, and you'll find a ledge halfway up the wall, near the corner. Run up and grab the ledge to jump to a bar. Hanging from the bar, make your way round the corner, and face away from the corner to swing to another bar. There, make your way to face away from the wall, and jump to a column. Jump to a second column, then jump back towards the wall to another bar and move along it. Swing from bar to bar moving parallel to the wall to reach a lever that half opens a hatch near your original entrance to the area. Either drop (and take some damage) or return the way you came to reach ground level, and go over to the opposite wall. This wall again has a ledge and an arrangement of bars and columns that lead to a lever. It's possible to ignore the columns entirely and swing from the first bar to catch the second end-on, but easier to swing out from the wall to the broken column, jump to the next column, and back in to the second bar. Again, you can drop (and take damage) or return to get back to floor level. The pools near the save point are still there if you want to heal. Either way, the hatch near your original entrance is now fully open, and you should push the conveniently placed stone block through it. Return past the pendulums to the lower baths to find the stone block and push it over the waterfall to the pool near the save point. Drag it anticlockwise along the wall to reach the corner, where you can stand on it to reach the ladder. At the top of the ladder, collect sand cloud 19 and climb through the hole in the wall. Drop to the ledge, work your way along it to the platform and go through the wall again. Jump from the end of this ledge to the column and thence to another ledge. Follow the pair of ledges through the wall again and around the corner to jump to the bar, swing to the platform and wall run twice to the far end of the room, and along the far wall. Through the doorway, run up the wall next to it and jump to the bar. Swing from bar to bar the length of the room and sidle along the ledge at the end to the balcony. Smash the obstacles and tread on the yellow switch. Past the rotating blades, you enter another chamber with another (avoidable) fight. ::Combat Wave 1 (3)XXD+XXDDXXDXXX #33% Above the baths Up the stairs, you find a balcony above the upper baths. Drag the furniture to the edge of the balcony and climb it to jump for the bar nearby. From the bar, swing to the columns in the middle of the room and use them to cross to the balcony opposite. Collect sand cloud 20 and head to the far end of the balcony. Wall run from there to the small balcony where you upgrade your sword. Return to the previous balcony, and, directly in front of you, there should be a door in poor shape. With your new sword, you can break it down with three strokes, exposing stairs down. Halfway down, there's a rectangle of brickwork in the wall, with a small hole in. Your sword can also smash this wall, and doing so gains access to the fourth magic fountain. At the bottom of the stairs, break through another doorway to rejoin Farah. In the far right corner of the room, there's another breakable wall, which, this time, leads onwards and out of the baths. Welcome to the ruins of the ancient palace. When you emerge onto a balcony, drag the stone block form the far end to the middle where it fits neatly into an alcove. Farah takes the crack revealed, leaving you to run up the wall above the alcove and jump to the bar. Swing to the platform in the middle (taking minor damage when you land) then turn left and jump to the platform nearby. Head clockwise along the ledge until you can drop to the ledges below. Follow the bottom ledge until you can wall jump back and forth to the high ledge further round. Follow the ledges until you can jump from the top ledge to catch the edge of the platform with sand cloud 21. Drop over the far edge of the platform to catch a ledge from which you can jump to the nearby platform. Continue clockwise to jump up and rejoin Farah. The white crank can be turned either a quarter or (in the PS2 version) a half turn clockwise to open the gate leading onwards, and a gate hidden behind the far wall respectively. The hidden gate leads to the original Prince of Persia game. As you go up the stairs to unlock the original game, you get the chance to save. #40% A long buried secret Continuing, you face more scarabs. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): SSSS+SSSS The stone block at the corner hides another crack. Once Farah re-emerges, the switch she stands upon will enable you, by wall running and jumping, to rejoin her at the end of the corridor. At the top of the ladder, you approach a dusty hall, where more enemies lurk. It may be possible to evade this combat, but hacking through a wall when the prince keeps autofacing nearby enemies is more hassle than its worth... ::Combat Wave 1 (4): H(hook)BBB Wave 2 (4): HHBB+B Wave 3 (4): HHBB+HBBBHBB #43% Daybreak In the far right corner of the hall from where you entered, is a breakable wall. The corridor beyond contains a fountain. Make certain you're at full health before proceeding to one of the harder fights in the game, just through the yellow door ahead. The switch is behind the nearby breakable barrels. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): K(knight)BBB+BBBK Wave 2 (4): BBBB+KBB #46% A soldiers' mess hall There's a fountain down the stairs to heal at. From there, climb the nearby rubble and wall run clockwise to a bar. Make your way clockwise and upwards by bars and ledges to reach sand cloud 22. From there, go anticlockwise by bar, platforms and wall running to the yellow floor switch and out through the gate. Despite the cutscene, turn left out the gate, and, from the end of the platform, jump for the first bar. Swing to jump off the far wall, turn round and swing to land on the rooftop. run up the wall beside you to face the spiky poles. Beware the spike traps around the corner, and follow the platform past more spiky poles. To get past the set of traps round the next corner, try wall running. At the end of the platform, run up the wall and jump from the orange symbol to open the orange gate. Back inside, head down the stairs to the white symbol and jump up for the lever above. Farah climbs the ladder to join you, and can slip under the yellow gate at the top of the stairs for you. Inside are sand cloud 23, the yellow floor switch Farah's helpfully standing on and a hanging lever. Run up the wall and jump from the white symbol to lower the drawbridge outside. Back outside, head round the corner to find some scaffolding on the level below enabling you to drop down safely. Just before stepping onto the drawbridge, there's a fountain to restore any lost health. As you walk onto the drawbridge, you will face another (unavoidable) fight. Take care not to fall off the edge. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): KBBB+BKBKKBBKKB #46% The Drawbridge The route from here should be obvious (the yellow crank turns a quarter anticlockwise) until you enter the large chamber. Climb the stairs to the first corner, then wall-run clockwise to the bar. Zigzag upwards (from bar to bar), then swing clockwise to the platform with the white symbol and the lever above. Pull the lever. The second attempt triggers Farah to pull her lever, then you should pull yours again. Climb up the nearby wall, avoiding the saw, to jump to the central bridge which Farah should have lined up for you. Jump from the bridge back the way you can to go outside through the hole in the wall. Head anticlockwise around the outside of the tower (wall-run and swing) to come back inside and pull the lever (run up the wall and jump from the symbol). Board the platform and go to the center of the room to trigger Farah. When you stop, jump to the ledges and from them to the ladder. Head anticlockwise to jump (or wall run) for another lever to create a ladder for Farah. Swing back to the platform and (with Farah's help) go outside through the orange gate. The bridge outside is guarded by vultures. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): VV+VVVVVV When you reach the far end of the bridge, it collapses and you get separated from Farah. Going around the tower anticlockwise will find a fountain, and clockwise (past the save point) sand cloud 24. #50% A broken bridge Remember to get the sand cloud if you saved first, then drop over the edge of the platform to the ledge below. From there, jump via the columns to the lowest ledge, extending clockwise around the tower. Follow it. When it runs out, jump from wall to wall to reach the (collapsing) floor below. Swiftly run clockwise around the tower until you reach a wooden wall. Run up it and jump to the safety of the nearby bar. From there, swing back to the top of the wooden structure. Drop carfully down the far side, cross the platform, jump up to the ledge and jump to the column on the balcony opposite. Collect sand cloud 25, then jump back across the gap from the top of the other column. Continue clockwise along the ledges until you reach a beam headed away from the tower. Make your way along it to reach another balcony, where a bird bath has water enough to heal. Head inside to find yourself in a courtyard patrolled by vultures. Head anticlockwise around the inside of the courtyard (wall run, jump and swing from bars) to land on the save point. #52% 'I'll meet you at the baths' Drop down to the platform below and use the beams to head clockwise around two sides of the courtyard. On the third, jump inwards and face the vultures. ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V+VVVVV If you fall down, you can either rewind time, or head back to near the save point where you can run up and wall jump between walls to reach the tops again. From where you started being attacked by the vultures, jump across the center of the courtyard and head anticlockwise to find yourself on an overhanging wooden beam. Jump outwards and walk anticlockwise to pull the lever above the white symbol. This produces a ladder up to your current location and opens a gate directly below. From the foot of the ladder, head anticlockwise for sand cloud 26 then through the center of the courtyard and bear left to find another lever. This one closes some gates, and opens another - which was containing some scarabs. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): SSSS+SSSSSSSS Behind the gate that contained the scarab is a retracting lever, which raises a nearby gate. Head quickly back clockwise round the courtyard to the ladder up, walk along the beams, jump inwards, walk round the corner then jump straight on across the gap, jump across the center and walk round the corner before jumping outwards onto the now closed gates. Head anticlockwise, jumping the gap to the platform below the save point, then wall run along the still descending gate to sand cloud 27. Follow the obvious route from there to the lever above the white symbol. Pull that to create a ladder, then wall run across the orange exit gate to the opposite platform. The wall behind the barrels can be destroyed to reach the fifth magic fountain. Tread on the orange floor switch, and hurry down the ladder and through the gate. Inside the blue tunnel, break through the wall to enter a large blue cavern. Cross the beam and descend the ledges behind the barrels. Sand cloud 28 is on the small island just before you face some more scarabs. Be aware that standing still in the water will cause you to be carried slowly towards the waterfall by the current. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): SS+SSSSSSSS Climb onto the raised platform, and cross the beam over the waterfall. Heading clockwise initially, zigzag down the ledges. From the platform, jump to the second platform and walk onto the beam to face your first flock of bats. These run when only three remain. ::Combat (bats) Wall run anticlockwise to the platform below, then drop down the ledges to face more bats. ::Combat (bats) Jump across from the ledge to a platform, and then to a second platform, then walk another beam. Wall run clockwise to the next save point. #55% Waterfall After the save, head along the beam below. In the tunnel beyond, smash the wall. Emerging back into the main chamber, you find yourself on a rickety looking wooden platform. This one is stable, but the other, similar ones are not. Wall run from one to the next as quickly as possible as they collapse beneath you. Drink at the pool if needed, then break through the wall ready for some more collapsing platforms. As you land on the ledge at the end, you get attacked by mor bats. ::Combat (bats) Follow the ledges to the far end of the top ledge to meet your first stalactite. These break off a while after you land on them, or immediately you jump away from them. Jump straight across from the ledge to the stalactite to a collapsing platform, and wall run anticlockwise between platforms until you reach the shadow of a stalactite on the wall - jump there to head straight across the abyss once more to catch a ledge after two stalactites. At the far end of the ledge, jump away from the wall to another stalactite. This time, use the third one to make a right angle turn, and then go stright until you land next to the next save point. #57% A cavern of ladders Jump up to the ledge at the end of the platform, and continue. This time you have to jump between almost a dozen stalactites, with frequent shifts of direction and camera angle. Sand cloud 29 is on the platform where you finally land. From there, continue across the bridge to the cavern of ladders where you are greeted by a swarm of bats. ::Combat (bats) The platforms in this cavern are all stable, but there are more flocks of bats lurking. If you wall run clockwise until you hit a ladder, descend, then wall run anticlockwise to the next platform, and descend the ladder there before fighting off a swarm of bats and then wall running clockwise twice more, you reach the only ladder down to the water below. There are other ways to get there though, and at least one more bat flock lurking. However you got there, you want to take the tunnel at water level and break down the wall en route to a man-made chamber. Head clockwise around the room (towards the save point) and walk up the pile of rubble and wait a moment for your shoes to dry. Run up the wall, then jump from the platform to the rope. Turn, swing and jump from the rope to land by the save point. #60% An underground reservoir Climb up the ledges to the prince's right, edge round and drop to the lower ledge. Jump the gap in the beam heading out into the room, then follow the ledges and beams past a flock of bats. ::Combat (bats) Climb up the broken pillar just past the bats, and head back halfway along the beam above. From there, jump to the rope and swing across to the opposite beam. Follow the ledge to the left, and out halfway along the beam beyond. From there, jump anticlockwise to another rope, turn and jump to a second rope, turn again, and jump through the archway to face an assortment of familiar traps. Jumping the spike pit is probably the easiest way to sand cloud 30 in an alcove looking back into the main room. If you run up the wall to grab the ledge above the spiked jaws, you can shimmy round and climb up onto the platform without risking the saws. Pulling the lever in the next room opens a large hatch in the floor, which releases another swarm of bats. ::Combat (bats) Dropping down the shaft previously covered by the hatch, you pass the big brothers of the rotating blade traps. All it takes is timing on the drop (or blind luck). Either way, as you push the crate out into the main chamber, you trigger another flock of bats. ::Combat (bats) Since you're ankle deep in water, you might as well heal yourself if you took any damage, then move the crate to the next alcove anticlockwise, where sand cloud 31 waits. Climb up the ledges, and head clockwise and out halfway along the first beam. From there, jump anticlockwise to the rope, and swing from rope to rope anticlockwise round the room. On the fourth rope, turn and swing through another archway to face more traps. This time, run up the wall immediately in front of you (timing to dodge the jaws) and jump to the H-shaped bar. From either arm, swing up to the bar above, then swing from bar to bar to reach the high platform across the spike pit. Break the wall at the far end for magic fountain number 6. Directly below is sand cloud 32, from which it's a simple jump across the spike pit to get back to the main chamber. Jump back to the rope you came from and climb up into the daylight, where, as you emerge from the well, you get attacked. This fight you can run straight past without much trouble. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): CCC+KBKB Wave 2 (3): BBC+CCKBBBCCKB Sand cloud 33 is in the corner of the courtyard furthest from the save point. #62% Out of the well Indoors, there's a pool of water where you can heal. Through the next archway, jump for the rope, swing up and wall jump off the white switch. You have to be right at the end of the rope in order to catch it again on the rebound. Then do the same with the yellow wall switch, this time continuing your rebound swing to jump and run through the yellow gate before it closes. Sand cloud 34 is on the right at the bottom of the steps. For the next puzzle, grab and extend the yellow lever. You need to run over the white floor switch and jump to the platform it causes to extend, without getting hit by the pendulum. Then it's a simple wall run over the saw blade, jumping before you land in the spike traps, before heading up the stairs, dodging the rotating blades, and through the gate at the top to enter the Harem. Farah is nearby, but before you meet her, you have another fight (which you can ignore if you choose). ::Combat Wave 1 (3): DXX+BX Wave 2 (3): BDD+BDX Wave 3 (3): DDX+DDBDDX The pool of water will still heal you. #65% The Sultan's harem One of the curtains on the wall covers an entrance rather than solid stone. Going through, you hear the tell-tale sound of enemies warping. This time, they're not coming for you, but for Farah, so you must get to her first. The wall without drapes in the concealed side chamber can be broken, as can the wall directly ahead of you on the other side. Going through, you can then run up the wall and jump to pull the lever to open the yellow gate. Just around the corner from the lever is sand cloud 35. Heading back the way you came, you catch a glimpse of Farah. Ignore her for now, and continue back to the main chamber. As you emerge from the drapes turn left immediately, and go through the drapes directly ahead. As you follow the corridor, you pass sand cloud 36 in a dead-end just off to the right at the T-junction after the pit. A little further, and you find a breakable wall on the right. Go through and along to the end of that area, where you can break through to the left and finally rejoin Farah. You have to fight here. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): BBD+BX Wave 2 (3): BDX+BDXBB Wave 3 (3): DDX+DDBD Wave 4 (3): DDX+D #65% 'What did you call me?' Grab the statue nearby and pull it away from the wall. Farah will open the yellow gate for you. Outside, turn the yellow crank clockwise to open the gate and rejoin Farah. When you reach the mirror, either turn it so that the beam of light goes into the room ahead, or remember to come back later. Either way, prepare for another fight. If you turned the mirror, the beam of light can get distracting. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): BBR+BBB Wave 2 (3): BBR+BRBBB Wave 3 (3): BRR+BBRRBB Wave 4 (3): BBR+RRRB #69% The Hall of Learning There's a fountain on the side of the central stubby pillar. Follow the beam of light (if there isn't one, go back and turn the mirror) till it hits another mirror. Drag the pedestal to the discoloured patch on the floor so the beam goes past the bookcase. Follow it, and drag the nearby mirror onto another discoloured patch so that it reflects the light further. Do the same for the third discoloured patch. This time, the light strikes a wall, but, as the cracks suggest, it's easy enough to break through. When the last mirror is in place, the symbol on the central pillar will light up and the pillar extend upwards. Wall run up the side of the pillar twice, then jump for the beams one face clockwise from the symbol. Jump from the broken arch to the platform on the outer wall, and wall run anticlockwise. Jump from the ledge andswing from the bars to reach a balcony. At the end of the balcony is another rotatable mirror, but since you have to come back here anyway, you might as well leave it for now. Halfway along the balcony, run up a pillar to jump from the wall switch to the extended bookcase, and wall jump back and forth to the top. Before the bookcase retracts, wall run clockwise. From this platform, wall run again and jump to the ladder. Sand cloud 37 is in a corner at the top. If you wall run up from where it was and jump to the beams, you can walk anticlockwise and get attacked by bats. ::Combat (bats) Heading all the way along the wall to the corner (wall run past two pairs of saws) brings you to a cracked wall, which gives access to magic fountain 7. If you visit it, wall run back past the saws. Head along the beam to the central platform (jumping the gap) and turn the mirror one quarter clockwise so that the light is reflected towards the far wall. Head off to the right rather than following the light directly, jumping towards the wall from the left arm of the cross. Use bars and wall to land on a high beam, then jump across where it used to be to face more bats. ::Combat (bats) Once the bats have been dealt with, proceed to the platform where two mirrors want to be placed on discoloured patches. Once both are in place (they may need minor adjustments to get the light to reflect to the right place) the crystal in the opposite corner should send a beam of light straight down to the mirror I said to leave earlier. Run along the wall, dropping down the ledges on the pillar midway, to reach it, and turn it to light up the symbol opposite. Jump across the platforms that appear. If you drop off the end of the platform Farah's standing on, you'll find sand cloud 38. Climb back up, and go to the broken pillar halfway along the platform. From the ledge on it, jump to the rope, then swing from rope to rope to the ledges on the wall. Follow the ledges clockwise to jump to the ladder in the corner. At the top, break through the series of walls to reveal another crystal. Pull the lever in the previous chamber to extend some more platforms in the main chamber. Head back out and cross the new platforms. Move the first mirror you come across to somewhere out of the way, and replace it with the further one. Head back to where you smashed the walls, and move the mirror in the first chamber out into the main chamber so that it reflects the light onto the crystal. From the chamber with the crystal, climb over the wall back into the main chamber and descend cautiously (via the half platform on the right and, further down, the broken pillar on the left) to floor level. Through the gate you find your second sword upgrade and an orange lever that controls the exit gate. Pull it out and run for the exit before it closes. If you want a drink, you'd better get it before opening the exit - there isn't time to stop at the fountain en route. A few stairs later, and you're stuck with another fight. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): BRR+BRBBRBBRBBRB #71% Observatory Stand on the strange steps and get lifted to the heights. When you get there, sand cloud 39 should be obvious. Heading clockwise, use the bars to zigzag up to the platform above. Turn the crank one quarter anticlockwise, then use the bars and the room's central column to cross to the platform directly opposite. A quarter turn anticlockwise, and you should be able to make your way via the central column to the lever, a quarter of the way round the room anticlockwise. Pulling it will cause the planets to rotate. Jump from the lever to the white switch on the wall, and wall run anticlockwise between the platforms that appear to reach the platform with the first crank. Use the bars and the central column again to reach the quarter you haven't yet visited, pull the lever and slide down the cables to the bottom. Farah pulled the lever here earlier, so just rejoin her at the room's exit. At the upcoming T-junction, left shortly leads to a fountain (past two spiky poles) while to the right is a new type of trap - long blades coming out of the walls and sweeping towards you. weave your way past them, and dodge the pendulum to get over the pit (wall run or jump). In the next stretch of corridor, pass the spike traps (wall run over or tiptoe through) then run in to press the yellow floor switch, double back and make your way round the spike traps before the gate closes, timing to dodge the long blades. Getting caught by the spike traps is liable to prove fatal unless you rewind. In the third hall, you have to pull the yellow lever out then make your way down the corridor dodging some long blades, then some very long blades that sweep the width of the corridor. Either roll under them, or run up the wall to be above them when they pass. You emerge into a courtyard with two pools and a bridge, patrolled by knights. If you prefer to evade combat, you can usually get a good drink in the pool while the knights mill around on the bridge. Even though you have to get Farah through here later, having the knights still around doesn't seem to be a problem. ::Combat Wave 1 (3): KKK+KK #75% Hall of Learning courtyard In the near right corner as you came in, there's a ladder up. Jumping from the top to a beam, jump again across the gap in the beam to disturb some vultures ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V+VV Unlike most fights, you have to put your sword away manually at the end of this one. Make your way along the beam, jumping another gap, until you can jump to grab the nearby rope. Swing up to another beam, then jump to a bar and swing to a platform. Head directly across it and wall run out to the distant beam, then jump to the bar. When you swing off the bar onto the platform, a quick attack can catch both roosting vultures as they take off. ::Combat Wave 1 (1): V+V This time, the sword gets sheathed automatically. Wall run clockwise around the courtyard to another beam, jump from tje end towards a rope, swing to a second rope, and thence to a rooftop. Wall run clockwise to an awning, then drop down onto the platform below. Head in through the open archway to turn the yellow crank once clockwise. Make your way past the spike pit (by hanging over the edge) and inside. Head down the stairs (some of which are missing) - if you wall run down, you can jump over the rotating blade traps. At the bottom are some scarabs. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): SSSS+SSSS Sand cloud 40 is in the corner here, then move on to be rejoined by Farah. If you need healing, you can go back the way she came to the courtyard. Head through the corridors to get attacked by more scarabs. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): SSSS+SSSSSS Keep going until you emerge outside once more, and face another battle. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): HHHH+KHHKHHHHKK #75% On the ramparts Sand clouds 41 and 42 are at either end of the lower, outer platform. At the corner is a pool of water. At the far end of the ramparts, you part from Farah again. Use bars, beams and ledges to make your way clockwise around the outside of the tower. The sand cloud ahead can't be collected until later since, as you run towards it, the floor gives way, and you find yourself at the top of the prison. Descend the nearby ladder, then you've got a lot of wall running ahead of you. Each switch will cause a platform to appear temporarily, letting you get far enough to wall run across the next switch until you reach the lift down, then you get to repeat it going the opposite direction. After the second lift, the pattern changes. Now you need to jump away from the wall switches until you can swing from a bar onto the ladder. Down the ladder, and another variation - this time there's a bar after you jump from each wall switch. At the bottom of the final ladder is another fight. You can evade this one if you're careful. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): HHHG+H Wave 2 (4): HHHG+GG Wave 3 (4): HHGG+HGHGG #79% A prisoner seeking an escape The switch to escape this room is all the way round from the ladder. You need to destroy the objects around it and fetch the metal cage with bones in from directly opposite. Sand cloud 43 is in the neighbouring cell to the switch, and there's a fountain on the wall between the two cells' entrances. In the next stretch of corridor, the wall on the right at the corner can be broken to gain access to magic fountain 8. To get through the next gate, run up the wall on the left to press the switch, ideally timing it to flip over the long blades. Sand cloud 44 is to the left as you enter the torture chamber. Pulling the two levers out temporarily brings the two end walls close enough for you to wall jump up between them. From the top of them, run up the wall and jump to the beam in the middle, where bats will attack. ::Combat (bats) Jump from the end of the beam to land on the beam opposite. Jump to hit wall switches left and right before wall jumping up between the two walls that move into position as a result. Wall run up and jump to the bar, then swing and wall jump upwards. Jump from the end of the beam to a bar to swing across the room to the platform opposite where sand cloud 45 awaits. To ascend the next portion, run up the walls to the switches, then jump from the switch to the new platform. Repeat from the far end of each platform until you land on a beam at the top. Jump from the end of teh beam to the ladder, then make your way up the shaft. The ladders fall away when you jump from them. At the top, you emerge into a courtyard where Farah is already in combat (no, you can't avoid this fight). ::Combat Wave 1 (4): GGGK+GGKGGGKKGGGKKGGKGKK 81% 'At last we're here!' There's a fountain just up the stairs from the save point, and sand cloud 46 can be found by going up yet further. In fact, this is the sand cloud you saw just before falling into the prison. There's a white floor switch near the fountain. Once pressed, you want to head anticlockwise around the courtyard, wall running to get to the top of the new, temporary pillar, and again to reach the second white switch (this time halfway up a wall). The second switch creates a second temporary pillar directly opposite the first. Wall running clockwise from the top of the second pillar will get you to a crate which you can use to reach the orange switch on the wall opposite the orange gate. Sand cloud 47 is just through the gate. Vultures ambush you on the bridge. ::Combat Wave 1 (2): VV+VVVVVVVV Shortly after entering the tower, collect sand cloud 48 (the last one) on the right. The cracked wall where the corridor turns left leads to magic fountain number 9, the first you find when Farah is with you. Practically the whole of the next room is a giant lift. To trigger it, approach Farah, and then ready yourself for one of the nastiest fights in the game. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): GGGG+KBBBBBBBKGGKBBKBBBKGGK There are fountains on either side of the steps. Once the lift stops, there will be a lever one wall jump away from teh white symbol on the back wall (above Farah's head). A final small lift takes you up to the treasury, the hourglass, and a save point. #83% The Hourglass Ascend the path, switching to the platform around hte edge of the room at the top, and continue to make your way anticlockwise, wall running between platforms, until you can jump away from the wall to a bar, and swing to the top of the hourglass. As you may have guessed from the percentages on the saves, despite having reached the hourglass, this cutscene doesn't end the game. When you regain control, you find yourself in an area that seems closely related to the magic fountains. At the bottom of the stairs, approach each doorway in turn. Where you hear water splashing, go through. If you get the wrong door, a gong will sound and you will find yourself re-entering the chamber and having to begin the puzzle again. After passing through four doorways, you will find yourself up one level. From now on, mistakes only reset you to here. After the third doorway at this level, a cutscene triggers. Following the cutscene, you awaken alone with no dagger, no sword, and sand creatures roaming nearby. Run past them until you reach the chamber with a sword in the middle. The sand creatures do not pursue. Move the nearest mirror not in the light beam so that the light zig-zags to a crystal on the far side of the room. On the far side, replace the mirror blocking the light with the other one, and take the mirror you replaced so that it reflects the light onto the symbol on the pedestal. When the symbol glows yellow, you can go and get the sword. This sword is powerful enough to destroy sand creatures in one blow, meaning you no longer need the dagger to finish them. If you want, you can now backtrack to fight the sand creatures you ran past earlier (and take the opportunity to save). ::Combat Wave 1 (3): BBB #90% The tomb From the chamber with the sword, you can shatter the door blocking your progress. Wall run and use the bars and far wall to make your way up to the platform where a fight (avoidable) awaits you. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): BHHH+BHHBBBHBBHHBHHBH #90% 'Farah, come back!' To reach the tenth magic fountain, drop off the side of the platform opposite where you came from. Follow the ledges clockwise then drop down onto the beam below. From there, swinging on a bar will put you inside a chamber directly below where you just fought. Smash through a doorway to enter the access passage. To get back to the fight platform, run up the wall towards the white symbol and jump away for the lever. Swinging from the lever to a bar gets you out. Whether you visit the magic fountain or not, from the platform, use the ledges to ascend the wall. At the top is an ordinary fountain. Climb the unbroken column and jump away from the wall, then move a quarter anticlockwise round the second column to jump to a beam. From there, jump away from the wall to hang from a bar. From the loose end of the bar, swing out to another beam, where bats attack. ::Combat (bats) Having seen off the bats, advance as far as possible along the beam, then jump off to either side to slide down a column. Through the doorway, run a short distance along the wall, then jump from wall to wall to the platform above. From there, run up the side wall and jump to find yourself at the broken end of a bridge to the tower. When you reach the far end of the bridge, most of it falls away, and you have an avoidable fight on your hands. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): BBHH+HBBHHBHBBH #93% Climbing the Tower of Dawn NB - Since almost the whole of the rest of the game is spent climbing the Tower of Dawn, I will use clockwise and anticlockwise in relation to the Tower itself from here on. There is a fountain at the clockwise end of the platform, and progress starts by running up the wall at the anticlockwise end to jump to a bar. From there, jump to and off the wall to a beam, head to the wall end of the beam and jump up onto a ledge. Follow the ledge onto a beam, and jump parallel to the wall to a second beam. From the associated ledge, jump away from the wall onto the column. From the column, jump anticlockwise to another clumn, climb it and jump towards and off the Tower wall to reach the level above. Follow the ledge clockwise from the platform to meet a swarm of bats. ::Combat (bats) From the end of the ledge, drop onto the platform, and immediately climb inwards onto another platform. Wall jump upwards. Head anticlockwise along the ledge. Fend off another swarm of bats. ::Combat (bats) Jump from beam to beam, then continue anticlockwise, dropping down to the bar when progress stops. Jump off the tower wall from the far end of the bar to reach the beam above, and fight more bats where the beam meets the wall. ::Combat (bats) When you run out of ledges and beams, wall jump up once more. At the top, head a little way anticlockwise and ascend the ledges to start moving clockwise. From the ledges, swing across the bars, and work your way around the broken turret. Wall jump again, this time downwards, and enter the turret. When you tread on the yellow floor switch, head rapidly anticlockwise around the Tower to the next turret, and use the ladders to ascend, contending with bats at the top of the first ladder. ::Combat (bats) At the top, you find yourself facing another combat against more substantial opponents. Again, you can evade them if you wish. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): BGGG+BGBBBGGBGGBBGGBBGGGBG Heading anticlockwise round the Tower leads to a fountain. The save point is clockwise, past a pile of rubble. #95% The setting sun From on top of that pile of rubble I just mentioned, climb the column and head clockwise from the top by swinging on bars. Shimmy along the L-shaped bar to swing towards the Tower from the end. From the top ledge, jump to the beam and walk into the sunset. Continue clockwise by running along the Tower wall (twice) and walk out to the ruined turret. From the anticlockwise wall of the turret, jump across the turret to start wall jumping upwards. At the top, head inwards to the Tower then wall run clockwise once. Head out to the next turret to get attacked by bats. ::Combat (bats) Cross the beam to the next turret to face another flock. ::Combat (bats) Back close to the Tower, wall run clockwise twice, to jump away from the wall at the corner. From the top of the column you can jump to the green roof and climb the column there. Jump to the bar and swind up onto the platform. Heading anticlockwise, wall run and jump from a ladder to reach a column that lets you jump into the Tower via a lighted archway. It may not look it, but you will then be in a chamber immediately above the hourglass. Oh, and after a cutscene where you get the Dagger back, you'll be facing some enemies as well, in the penultimate fight of the game. If you're prepared to dance around a little, you may be able to trick your opponents into knocking each other over. If you're exceptionally skillful, you may even be able to knock-down one or two yourself. The trouble is that the dagger is empty, and any sword-blow is instantly lethal, so your only chance to use any sand is by retrieving it the hard way. Oh, and you can't avoid this fight, in case you were wondering. There are fountains around the edge of the room. ::Combat Wave 1 (4): KKKK+KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK (25 total) You automatically get your last chance to save the game. #98% Honor and glory After the cutscene, you face the final fight (this one's unaviodable too). The good news is that you are automatically restored to full health and sand. Your opponent is the Vizier, but, rather than face you directly, he creates a spell- wrought clone which attacks, while he is protected by an impenetrable shield. Once the clone takes sufficient damage (it sparkles redly when hit), it will be destroyed, and a second one summoned. Once the third clone is defeated, the Vizier's shield fails, and you can hit him directly. At this point, he's pretty much exhausted, so you needn't worry about counter-attacks. After the cutscene, deliver the finishing blow and enjoy the final cutscene and end credits. ##Legal #Disclaimer This guide is totally unofficial, and not in any way sponsored or endorsed by any entity in any way related to Ubisoft. Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia The Sands of Time are trademarks of Jordan Mechner and used totally without permission. Ubisoft is also a trademark, and also used without permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and are used without permission. If the holders of any trademarks or copyrights infringed by this document wish to complain, I will gladly comply with any reasonable requests to modify this document, up to and including, but not necessarily limited to removal of all offending material. While reasonable attempts have been made to ensure the reliability of this document, errors may remain. This document relates to the PAL PS2 version of PoP:SoT and, while other versions will tend to agree, differences arising from different versions are not in any way my fault. No damage to hardware, software or gamers is anticipated from the use of this document, but I accept no liability for any damage or loss of time or earnings caused. Use of this document and the techniques and information herein is strictly at "own risk". #Distribution Permission is given to copy and distribute this document freely, provided all content remains intact, and my name remains on it. Modifications are permitted, provided it is made clear which portions are original and which modifications, and the legal text and change history are retained intact, except for the addition to the change history of descriptions of changes made. Explicit permission is given to www.gamefaqs.com to host this document. It would be nice to know where this gets posted though. No charge beyond reasonable distribution and copying charges may be made for this or any modified version of this document. If you wish to make use of this document for commercial purposes, get in touch for a separate agreement. #Copyright Copyright 2004 Robert Stewart