Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for the Game Boy Advance will have you jumping, climbing, rolling and fighting your way through the Sultan’s palace. During your quest, you will collect the sands of time from defeated enemies, which will help you with your mission by allowing you to control time in various ways. You can slow it down, freeze it, or rewind it. The ability to bend time to your will is not essential to solving the game, but it is cool, and can be a very handy feature. Learning to control time can save you frustrating restarts, since you basically can cheat death. Did you just slip off the end of a moss-covered column? No problem! While plunging towards your imminent death, just use your Power of Revival to rewind time to before the fall and regain your grip on the column. Although there are specific save points, they are well placed throughout the game, and when you cross through them, your health is restored. You can also use the power of time to rebuild broken items, so be on the lookout for smashed columns or bridges that you must reconstruct in order to advance or reach hidden areas.

The few flaws in the game aren’t major and don’t detract too much from the overall feel. Some of the levels can be a bit too difficult and you always need to be on the lookout for different ways to get around the rooms. At times you may find yourself running back and forth across the level, trying to find the way out, or backtracking through the levels for items you may have missed. And you have to be careful when you are backtracking, since if you cross a save point that you have already been through, and then die on the other side, you will restart at the save point, not at your point of furthest progression.

Another slightly irritating feature is invisibility. It’s a feature that isn’t used often in the game, but it can be tricky to deal with. For example, some doors can "see" you and close automatically as you approach. This requires you to use the invisibility smoke that comes from defeating certain enemies. The only problem is that when you are invisible, it is very difficult, sometimes impossible depending on the background, to see your character. These sections sometimes force you to play by feel, rather than sight.

The graphics for The Prince of Persia on the GBA are impressive. The motion is smooth and fluid, and the cut scenes look great. There are also some nice details in the backgrounds, including cracks in the walls and open windows with views of Persia.

The sound effects in the game are decent. There is the requisite grunting, and shouts of "Oww" when you get hit with an arrow or try to slide down past the spikes. The music adds to the atmosphere and immerses you in the Persian palace.

As has become almost standard with GBA titles, there are a few bonus features available to those who also own the GameCube version of Prince of Persia. If you find the switches in the GBA version, you can unlock the original version of the game on the GC. Also, having the two games connected will allow the Prince’s health to automatically regenerate.

Overall, the Prince of Persia is an enjoyable game that strays from the ordinary with its unique time control feature. The action is fast-paced and the motion is fluid. It has solid game play and quality graphics. If you are looking for a fun and entertaining game for your GBA or someone else’s Christmas stocking, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a good buy.