The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the latest installment in the ever popular Zelda series. It’s the follow up to last year’s multi-console Twilight Princess and a sequel to The Wind Waker, the Gamecube hit. It retains the same cel shaded graphics as The Wind Waker, along with the overworld.

 Gameplay: 
            The gameplay is mostly standard, except for the controls. The entire game takes advantage of every DS facet, from the microphone(which seems much more sensitive(in a good way) than in other games), to the dual screens, to the obvious touch screen. You can blow out candles, look at Link from a bosses eyes, and use items with the stylus. Everything works amazingly well and is quite polished. The only thing is that rolling requires you to draw small circles on the edge of the screen, and most of the time it doesn’t work. Other than that, you still roam the Great Sea in your steam boat(following a path you draw) going to islands, saving the locals, beating bosses, and all that classic Zelda stuff.

Graphics:
            The graphics are stunning, coming close to Wind Waker if the DS had texture filtering. There are plenty of varied NPC’s and enemies, and the islands are overexaggerated versions of what they look like when you walk onto them. Outside of several boss battles and the Great Sea, everything is classic 2D top down Zelda. Because of that, everything looks even better since it’s not viewed close up. It is by far the best looking DS game, maybe even better than FFIV.

Sound:
            The sound is another excellent factor. So much of it is straight from Wind Waker, and there’s a large variety of it. The music is fitting in every situation and it never overpowers the sound effects. Speaking of, the sound effects are great. All of Link’s grunts and cries are ripped straight from Wind Waker, and there’s yelling and stuff from several other characters. It’s a very immersive experience.

Replay Value:
            There's plenty of things to collect, minus Piece of Hearts. Now there's only full Heart Containers to buy/find. In its place, you have to find ship parts, several of each part, whether it be hulls, chimneys, rails, or wheels. Also, you have to find Force Gems to power up your abilities. There are 20 of each Power, Wisdom, and Courage Gems, and they provide excellent replay value as you hunt for them.

Overall:
            All around, it’s one of the best Zelda games, and it fixed the name after Twilight Princess trashed it. I consider it the third best Zelda, behind Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask. It defines the action/adventure genre, shows what the DS can do, and is probably the first must own for the DS. Everyone should experience it.