Cell phone games have gone a long way since the original shoe-sized phones and the good old Motorola StarTacs (okay, those didn’t even HAVE games). While we are still nowhere near the level that Japan has reached in cell phones (as my moblog shows, their cell phones can do some neat things… and the new generation cell phones have games like Final Fantasy and that old Namco game from 1982, Xevious), we have gone a long way and things will only get better from here.

The current crop of pretty games are all Java-powered, and imaginably will stay this way. I tested Prince of Persia – Sands of Time on my Sony Ericsson Z600 phone.

The game isn’t small, which should be a note of warning to those of you on limited data plans – you’re looking at approximately a 100KB download. Once downloaded, it is rather quick to launch, and you’ll be up and playing in no time.

The game works about the same as the original Prince of Persia back on the XT/286, though you have a bit more fun things to play with, and it’s based on the more recent Prince of Persia (Sands of Time). The basic premise is the same: you have to run through levels and jump a variety of obstacles. You have a sword to help you ward off scary enemies (of which there are a variety – bats, archers, monsters, buttons that you push and things fall on your head and so on), and some special abilities, which are kind of fun. For instance, in Level 2, you pick up one that allows you to walk on walls: if you jump using the 2 key, and then press and hold it, Prince will walk on the neighbouring wall. It takes some getting used to (and don’t make the same mistake I did and practice this around a couple of enemies – let me tell you by personal experience that you will probably die); but it’s useful if used properly.

Overall, the game gives a pretty enjoyable experience – the graphics are smooth, the gameplay is fun and brings back old memories (for some), and it’s a great way to spend time (and battery) on the bus, train, or whatever the public transportation is that you use. I saw no major flaws with the game, and would certainly recommend you picked it up for your phone – I’m certain it’s much better than anything it came with by default (unless you live in Japan, in which case you shouldn’t even be reading this article).