As the build up to this summer's Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time movie continues, Jordan Mechner sat down to do a virtual round-table with a collection of writers from across the globe. We've cut some of the questions and answers out, because several of them were repeated by nature of the format of the Q&A, and there was also no real opportunity to ask follow-up questions. Yet there were still some interesting nuggets in there, and here are the highlights of what Mechner had to say (and we've put the latest stills in the midst of the interview, too).

You created the first game in 1989, and now 21 years and nearly 10 games later, we have the first movie. Are you happy with the evolution that the franchise has made?

I never could have dreamed when I was doing the first Prince Of Persia game on the Apple II in the 80s that it would last for 20 years, much less become a next-gen console franchise, and giant Jerry Bruckheimer movie. So yeah, I'm absolutely delighted.

Often it seems that movies based on videogames haven't performed at as high a level as expected. Why should the audience see this movie when all the others before it have let them down. How is this different?

Not every videogame should become a movie. I think there are several reasons why Prince Of Persia lends itself well to film. It's got a very human sympathetic relatable hero, and it's kind of an old fashioned kind of story. You know there's a love interest, a beautiful princess, a scheming villain. It has a kind of physical action that has always worked very well in adventure films. And it's got this really cool dagger that can turn back time!

And all of it is in this world, the mysterious, magical 1001 nights. For those reasons, I think Prince Of Persia is well suited for film.

What is your point of view of the movie adaptation of the game you created?

To me the Prince Of Persia movie is almost an old fashioned kind of action adventure. The kind of movies that really inspired me to make the game in the first place back in the 80s. I love it. It's the kind of movie I enjoy, and it's done on such an epic scale that Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney have delivered, with technology that now only exists today. I love it, and I hope that gamers will too.

Based on the trailer, the armour that Prince Dastan wears in the film is the one that he wears in the game Prince Of Persia: The Warrior Within. Can you explain how you came to this decision?

I should say that I didn't personally design the armour that Dastan wears in the film. And at the time that I wrote a script it was based on Sands Of Time. Warrior Within hadn't been made yet. But I visited the armourers in London, and they very proudly showed me all the armour they'd made. And definitely those guys loved the games, and drew from all of them in designing the costumes.

What is the key difference between writing a film script and a computer game script?

As a writer, writing a game versus writing a movie, the big difference is that movies are written to be watched, and games are written to be played. There's a story in a game, but the story is not the main thing, the gameplay is the main thing.

20 years ago when you animating the Prince based on a video of your brother, did you ever think that he'd be played by a major movie star like Jake Gyllenhaal?

When I was programming the original game in the 80s, I modelled it on a video of my brother who was in high school at the time, and he was running and jumping. And then, if you're told me that this was going to become a big Hollywood movie with a major movie star, not even with the dagger of time would I have believed that possible!

What do you think is the secret that makes the gaming franchise popular after so many years?

I don't know, but I think that part of the reason that Prince Of Persia has lasted so long, and been able to survive evolutions and reinventions as a game and now as a movie is because it combines a very old fashioned classic kind of story - the classic swashbuckling action adventure - but with a kind of physical action hat's very adaptable. It works as a 2D side-scroller, and it works bringing it into the third generation.

Were you able to stay loyal to the franchise when you developed the movie?

The script that I wrote for the movie is directly based on The Sands Of Time, the 2003 game that re-launched the franchise. It's a different story, it develops in different directions. But it has a lot of the same elements of the game. And I feel it's true to the spirit of The Sands Of Time and all the games.

Do you plan to continue to work more as a writer in the movie industry, and what would be your artistic motivation to do so if you did?

I love designing games. I love writing movies. I love writing graphic novels. I'm very grateful that thanks to Prince Of Persia, I've had the chance to work in all three media, and that's what I'd like to continue doing. Right now, I've got several projects in the works: screenplays, games and graphic novels, and I'd like to keep doing that.

Do you think that the procedure has changed following the various adaptations of other games?

I think it's sort of a new idea to make films based on games. There haven't been very many of them. And I think this is something that every time it's done it's like it's been done for the first time. So yeah, it's evolving very fast.

Do you think Prince Of Persia will be a successful film?

In writing the film - and I think with everyone who worked on the film - we didn't really approach it as a videogame movie. But rather just as an adventure film. A movie that's got to stand on its own merits. So even if you haven't played the games, this is a fun ride, a great romantic adventure that everyone can enjoy.

How much have you been involved in the making of the film?

I brought Prince Of Persia to Jerry Bruckheimer in 2004 as a pitch. And to try and sell him on the idea, I cut together a two minute trailer of footage from the game The Sands Of Time. And he liked it. I wrote the first few drafts of the screenplay, and I've stayed involved as executive producer all the way through.

Is this movie, for you, the most satisfying evolution of the Prince Of Persia?

There have been so many great surprises and rewarding moments in the last 20 years, seeing how Prince Of Persia has evolved. It's hard for me to pick a favourite. Certainly The Sands Of Time, the 2003 game that brought the franchise back to life and inspired this movie is one of the high points. But seeing Prince Of Persia coming to the big screen in this way is definitely a high point.

Jake Gyllenhaal got the role as the Prince. Is that a choice you support or would you prefer a different actor?

I was really happy when I heard that Jake Gyllenhaal had been cast as the prince. He's a great actor, he looks a lot like the character in the game, and, for me, he also embodies a lot of the qualities that make the Prince of Persia the kind of hero that he's always been. He's a warrior, but he's also got this mischievous quality, a certain attitude, a vulnerability.

You have always been quite kind to discuss how videogames can approach narrative and style, and have explored that in games like The Last Express as well as Prince Of Persia, which are both influenced by other art forms. Do you think that there are any ways that the film media can take inspiration from videogames?

When I programmed the first game I was a film student in college at the time, and I was really keen to bring cinematic ideas and techniques into the Apple II. So, it's been really interesting to see how games have evolved and become more cinematic over the last 20 years. And also, what's really interesting, is that films are now being interested by videogames. Not just by the technology, but by the idea of going backwards and forwards in time, of being able to replay parts of it. So, I think it's really great, and it's great for all media to be enriched by other media.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time is released on 28th May 2010.