Prince of Persia : Warrior Within for the PS2 is a darker sequel to the original Prince of Persia game. Where the first game was light and almost musical in its fluid grace, this latest Persia game is dark, violent, and has throbbing heavy-guitar soundtrack.

The hallmark of the original Prince of Persia game was its amazing motion and graphics. The prince would jump up ledges, run along walls, somersault, and all the while the banners would be blowing in the breeze, a cloak would be fluttering, torches would be flickering. It was really beautiful.

In addition, Prince of Persia had a time system where you could go back or forward in time. This added a really interesting element to puzzles, where you had to figure out if "backing up" the time would help you solve the situation.

Skip forward to this current release, Warrior Within. The prince is definitely dark and angry now. The levels are all much darker visually and in emotion. Monsters spew blood. Body parts come ripping off. The prince's moves are angular, angry, full of power. He's still solving puzzles and skipping through time, but it is with a dark stare.

This game is rated M for MATURE and this is very apparent. It's not the whore-slaying modern issues of Grand Theft Auto, but it's definitely violent. It's a game about rage and violence. It's not something to get for the younger tykes.

The sound is very well done, with the voice acting, additional noises, and the throbbing soundtrack. That being said, if hammering guitar and hoarse yelling isn't your type of music, you might get tired VERY quickly with this. There are missions that should be stealthy and it's sometimes hard to get into that mood.

The graphics, as mentioned, are gorgeous. Maybe a bit TOO dark at times, but that's the mood they're going for.

All in all a very fun game, the graphics still stun, and adult gamers will appreciate the immersion into an alternate (violent) reality.

Buy Prince of Persia Warrior Within from Amazon.com