MONSTERS PART 1

The Sands of Time flow freely across the Island, corrupting everything in their wake. Anything that escaped their influence was long ago conquered by The Empress - bent and 'changed'. A select few have been spared mutation - and The Prince will discover he's not the only human on the Island. But whether it is blood or sand in their veins one thing remains unchanged: ALL creatures on the Island serve The Empress.

SPIKE BEASTS:

The Island of Time was once home to several bands of feral wolves. The Empress has turned these fierce fighters to her side through the use of arcane magic, using their natural speed and strength to her advantage. She has further 'enhanced' the creatures by gifting them with sets of hardened spines, which they often use to impale - and immobilize - their prey. The Empress' tinkering has rendered these creatures incredibly unstable, and so care must be taken when attacking them. Their pent up energy is likely to be released in a powerful explosion when they are close to death.

Height: 1 meter

Weight: 100 pounds

Strength: The Spike Beast utilizes a deadly charge attack - dashing towards an enemy, impaling them on its sharpened spikes.

Weakness: It magical nature makes the creature unstable and clever opponents can take advantage of the creature's erratic behavior.

Special Attack: When they are near death, Spike Beasts can unleash the chaotic energy stored within them, resulting in a powerful, damaging explosion.

Weapon of Choice: Its spikes.

RAIDER:

Built from the remains of hapless pirates and merchants lured to the Island of Time, Raiders are mostly cannon fodder for the Empress' army. These simple sand creatures are not particularly dangerous on their own. They are not too intelligent either, exhibiting little in the way of strategy or cunning. However, it is rare for one to encounter a single raider as they often travel in packs. To make matters worse, they are usually accompanied by more powerful Keepers and Executioners.

Height: 1 meter 75 centimeters

Weight: 160 pounds

Strength: Raiders are capable of pulling off sophisticated synchronized attacks, encircling an opponent and striking from multiple directions at the same time. This can be a difficult attack to counter.

Weakness: Raiders are not particularly intelligent. With a little foresight, their attacks can be parried, blocked, or outright avoided.

Special Attack: Trained swordsmen, raiders are capable of pulling off a deadly THREE-HIT COMBO if an opponent is foolish enough to give them the opportunity.

Weapon of Choice: Zarich Sword.

EXECUTIONER:

Unlike the Keepers and Pirates who serve beneath them, Executioners suffer from neither stupidity nor insecurity. They are focused, dedicated warriors who aim solely to please the Empress of Time. These creatures should be handled with extreme caution - and dispatched with haste.

Height: 1 meter 85 centimeters

Weight: 180 pounds

Strength: The Executioner is an exceptionally skilled warrior, capable of mighty strikes and able to block most conventional attacks.

Weakness: No known weakness.

Special Attack: Executioners are so skilled they are sometimes able to penetrate an opponent's defensive stance, rendering traditional blocking maneuvers completely useless.

Weapon of Choice: Menog Mace. (Note: This powerful mace has the ability to knock its victim to the floor, rendering them open to additional attacks).

BLADEDANCER:

The bladedancers are lithe, clever, and seductive - a devastating combination. Their tribal markings and dress belie their origins as women from the tribes that once populated the Island. Long since forced to serve The Empress, they now patrol the narrow walkways and crossbeams of the Palace, keeping its upper reaches secure - and free from invaders. They are extremely devious, often dancing away from opponents before letting loose with a volley of razor-sharp disc-blades. Once they've distracted their opponent, they'll often vault back into the fray and cut them down in fierce melee combat.

Height: 1 meter 65 centimeters

Weight: 110 pounds

Strength: Bladedancers, as the name implies, are quite acrobatic, capable of pulling off complicated moves such as deadly flips and spins.

Weakness: Bladedancers are not very well armored and can be dispatched with a few well placed hits. Grabbing a Bladedancer will also render their acrobatic maneuvers useless.

Special Attack: These creatures can pull off deadly BACKSTAB attacks, leaping over their opponents to access more vulnerable areas.

Weapon of Choice: Yazata Disc-Blade. (Note: While this weapon does only moderate melee damage, it is capable of killing an opponent in a single blow if thrown correctly.)

CROW MASTER:

The crows inhabiting the Island of Time possess an unnatural intelligence -capable of well-coordinated attacks. This may have something to do with the rumors of a creature referred to as the Crow Master - a powerful being said to "lead" the crows in their efforts to purge the Island of intruders. It is unknown if the Crow Master was created by The Empress or is simply a byproduct of her enchantments. Either way, care should be taken if he is encountered.

Height: 2 meters 10 centimeters

Weight: 160 pounds

Strength: The Crow Master possesses the ability to levitate several inches off the ground, allowing it to perform graceful floating attacks, which are difficult to dodge.

Weakness: This creature has difficultly dealing with acrobatic attacks. They should be employed as often as possible when dealing with this beast.

Special Attack: The Crow Master is able to summon crows to aid him in attacking enemies. When threatened, the Crow Master is able to TELEPORT by transforming into a cloud of the winged creatures.

Weapon of Choice: Kerena Sword.

SILHOUETTE:

The Empress has experimented not only with corrupting life on the Island, but creating it as well. This beast is one such... success. She has fused the powerful Sands of Time with the shadows of her prisoners, resulting in the birth of these monstrosities. The result is an enemy capable of twisting itself into all manner of improbable shapes, making it extremely difficult to target. An outer coating of shadow-material allows the Silhouette to streak from place to place, deftly avoiding most conventional attacks. Such an unnatural creature must be met with equally unnatural force. It will take everything The Prince has to stand against - and defeat - these monsters.

Height: 1 meter 90 centimeters

Weight: 180 pounds

Strength: Incredibly quick, the silhouette streaks about the battlefield, making it difficult to lock onto and attack.

Weakness: Silhouettes are extremely vulnerable to thrown weapons.

Special Attack: These creatures employ a DUAL DAGGER attack, launching two sharp knives in rapid succession at their opponents.

Weapon of Choice: Dual Abathur Daggers.

BRUTE:

Lovingly hand-crafted by the Empress herself, this massive flesh golem is made up of the stitched together remains of slain warriors: those who sought to battle The Empress - and failed. Tattered, bloody bandages hold the abomination together where magic cannot. Despite its patchwork appearance, The Brute is easily one of Island's most dangerous residents - used to protect the castle's sensitive areas, owing to its massive size and strength. But while the Brute is incredibly powerful, it is not particularly intelligent. It is not uncommon for the lumbering beast to wander from the area it is meant to defend, destroying bits of the Palace in its wake. The creature employs a variety of attacks - pounding the ground with its massive fists sends out a devastating shockwave. Stunned opponents are then snatched up by meaty fists and flung far away.

Height: 7 meters

Weight: 1.2 tons

Strength: The Brute's massive size affords it great strength, allowing it to deal out tremendous damage with a single blow. This is in addition to its heavy armor, which renders it completely invulnerable to frontal assault.

Weakness: The armor worn by the Brute does not extend to its backside, leaving this region of the creature open to attack.

Special Attack: The Brute utilizes a TRAMPLE ATTACK, literally running over opponents before picking up their prone bodies and tossing them away.

Weapon of Choice: Massive Fists.

GRIFFIN:

Rumor speaks of an ancient, mythical beast that dwells beneath the Island of Time. None know whether it was lured there, found in the hold of a wrecked ship, or simply lived on the Island prior to the Empress' arrival. Regardless, The Empress has put it to use - guarding the Island's most valuable artifacts - and for good reason. Few creatures can match the power and ferocity of the griffin. This massive winged creature is capable of swift flight, allowing it to dodge all conventional attacks. Further, the constant beating of its wings creates strong winds - pushing back anyone attempting to close ranks with it. Add to this its razor-sharp talons and powerful beak - one would be hard pressed to find a more challenging opponent. And this is to say nothing of its serpentine tail. The griffin is said to be hundreds - if not thousands - of years old, leading some to speculate it must be able to regenerate itself over time. It's all hearsay, however, since no one has ever faced the griffin and lived to tell about it.

Height: 5 meters

Weight: 2 tons

Strength: The Griffin's strengths are numerous - among them are the ability to fly (avoiding most attacks) and rumors of regenerative properties (allowing them to heal over time).

Weakness: A beast of such legendary stature has no weaknesses! Those foolish enough to challenge The Griffin had best possess some kind of unique talent...

Special Attack: When angered, The Griffin will rear up on his hind legs, before slamming into the ground, producing a devastating SHOCKWAVE ATTACK, obliterating anything in its path.

Weapon of Choice: This creature will utilize its Claws, Beak, and Tail to tear opponents to pieces

POPWW website & new cinematic trailer available

Ubisoft kicks off the countdown to the release of Prince of Persia Warrior Within with the launch of the game's official website, http://www.princeofpersiagame.com/uk/home.php

Fans of the award-winning Prince of Persia series can visit the website for the most up-to-date content, including the following features:

Exclusive movies, and the latest Prince of Persia Warrior WithinTM news.

Previously unreleased screenshots and artwork of enemies, weapons and characters.

A map illustrating combat styles and combinations of the free-form fighting system.

Check out the brand new powerful trailer; "The Final Battle'", the first in the "Precursor to Fate" series of trailers. The remaining two trailers will be available for you to view soon.

Prince of Persia Warrior Within ships at the end of November 2004 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCubeTM and PC-CD Rom.

Thumb Bandits is hoping to bring you a review of the Xbox version of this title closer to its release, it's another fantastic release from Ubi Soft.