by Cat Sentz

Created on: May 21, 2008

Think of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as Wind Waker: Episode 2 for your DS, right down to the sailing through cell-shaded prettiness. Don't be hasty and write off Phantom Hourglass because of its accessibility. Where hardcore gameplay is shaved off, pleasing diversity replaces it. A pocket-sized adventure it lives up to the captivating quality of its predecessors. There's remarkable scope for a handheld in this game, and the fifteen or so hours of gameplay are layered with fun. A completely touch-based, 3-D world, this portable addition to the saga is a success in spite of some quirks.

You will once again don the green garb of your favorite questionably pubescent hero as the game opens on you and Tetra, sailing in search of the mysteriously threatening Ghost Ship. Tetra, an otherwise admirably hardy heroine type promptly lands herself in the middle of some damsel distress, and the young gent we'll call Link must retrieve her. Classic. Next on the traditional Zelda plot arc is the obligatory helper meet-up, this time with a sassy fairy creature called Ciela, and useless future-role-for-Hugh-Grant Linnebeck, a lazy treasure hunter in dapper garb.

There's a lot of graphical punch packed into this pocket-sized game, and very little cinematic neglect. Shots are framed nicely, and you get just as much attention to character as in prior console versions. If you don't like all the chatter of Link's expanding social circle, you may find your life as Link cluttered up by all the companions. They stick with you through the game, which adds to the game's depth while taxing the patience of Zelda traditionalists who just want to get on with their quest. You might start to wish they would just get left behind on one of the islands.

The stylus-based controls made me grumpy for the first ten minutes, and then I got over it. When you drag the stylus across the screen you move Ciela, and Link then obediently follows the fairy. Don't question it. Link will always run from his current position to the tip of the stylus. How far you pull Ciela from Link determines how quickly Link moves. A good swipe of the stylus or a direct tap on an enemy will do the trick, or you can draw a circle around Link to cue the spinning attack. The least successful maneuver is the roll with about a 50/50 success rate. Righty or lefty, there is just no avoiding that your hand will cover the screen at some point, leaving me grateful for my dainty lady hands. The system isn't broken, just not quite so gamer-intuitive

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