Before the 2003 game, before the 2010 movie, was the original 1989 side-scrolling, running, jumping, sword-fighting game I spent three years creating and programming on the Apple II, back when a computer was something you could pop the hood off and tinker with.

Brøderbund published Prince of Persia on the Apple II in 1989. It was converted to nearly every video game and computer console in existence, selling 2 million copies worldwide.

I directed the first 2D sequel, The Shadow and the Flame (1993), then turned away from the prince to spend the next four years making a real-time adventure game, The Last Express.

Another decade would pass before Ubisoft Montreal and I took on the challenge of reviving the moribund franchise for a new generation of gamers with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. That relaunch's success led to the Prince of Persia movie.

For purists who'd like to play the original Apple or DOS games just as you remember them... well, they're out there, but I can't tell you where.