Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights looks a lot like Prince of Persia, at least on the surface. The premise is basically the same, and there's the same sort of action (jumping/leaping about) and combat. The story is pretty simple, Ali must battle his way through different localities to find the princesses. Our brave hero's reward (or is that a punishment?) is he gets to marry all five if he's successful.

There are seven levels, with the first one being a tutorial designed to introduce most of the moves Ali will be making throughout the game. Players will learn how to make Ali jump, sneak, walk, pick up items, use magic, throw things and most importantly, fight. These actions are easy enough to pick up, except for the fighting sequences. The problem with the fighting is not that the combat itself is so very difficult, but that the controls are a trifle awkward, plus the graphics are not as clear as they could be which makes it hard to see exactly where Ali's blows are landing and what's coming at Ali.

Graphically speaking, the game is average. The backgrounds are clear and colorful, and the camera angles are very nicely done. Ali can pan up, down, and around seamlessly with no jerking or feelings of motion sickness. Ali himself is fairly well-done, but the other characters are not as carefully drawn. The combat sequences could definitely benefit from more detail, instead of the slightly blurry outlines and dark lighting, which makes it somewhat difficult to see the action. The music fits well into the Arabian theme, and lends a nice atmosphere to the game, with good sound effects and background noises.

Having the first level as a tutorial to learn the interface is a good idea, and works well. Most players will have no problems mastering the commands of the keyboard, although some of the moves are harder to mange than they should be, namely the "hanging from a ledge" one. It's tricky getting Ali to catch hold of that ledge, and sometimes he'll just keep jumping up and down, up and down, while the gamer fruitlessly tries to time that keystroke just right. Combat is a little more problematic, but as long as players keep Ali moving around instead of trying to stay close in and bashing away, usually he'll come out ahead. Movement can be accomplished by the mouse or the keyboard, but as all the actions are controlled by the keyboard, it's better to stick to it for everything, instead of having to move back and forth. There's not much choice of weapons, basically Ali will have a scimitar, a knife and various powerups in the form of magical items lying around. More items and moves become available to Ali during play, but nothing to change the gameplay much from what it already is.

So how does Arabian Nights rate against the countless other action games on the market? Clearly designed closely to Prince of Persia 3D, the gameplay does not offer as much depth, plus the action controls are not as streamlined. While it's not a badly done game, when compared to the myriad of choices available for action aficionados it's hard to give it much of a recommendation. The price is low, but there are many other better action games available for the same price at bargain bins across the country. The gameplay is adequate, but not terribly interesting or involving enough to keep most gamers playing all the way to the end.

Graphics: 7 
The game is drawn well, and presents colorful backdrops for the action. However, the action sequences themselves could use some work in this area, mainly in clarity and lighting.

Sound: 7
The music lends a nice atmosphere to the game and fits in well with the Arabian theme.

Concept: 6 
The game's story line is weak, but many plots are just vehicles for the play in action games. The design could have used more thought spent on different sorts of combat, which would have made the game more interesting.

Overall: 6
A mediocre entry in the crowded action field. While there are no glaring faults and the gameplay is adequate, there's just not much fun, either.