Everyone was taken by surprise when Nintendo unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at GDC 2006. Not only does it have a graphical look that's nearly identical to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the GameCube, but it controls almost entirely with the stylus. Nothing like this has really been done on the Nintendo DS before now, but it was a pleasure to play when we finally got our hands on the game.

When we first picked up the E3 demo to give it a test drive, we weren't sure quite what to expect. Playing the game almost exclusively with the stylus can be a little intimidating when you think about it. Most would assume it will either be a pain to play physically, or it will simply be annoying to control Link without a d-pad or analog stick. However, after spending a good amount of time with the E3 demo, we can safely say that the game plays and controls beautifully.

If you don't know how to use the stylus to play Phantom, you'll probably be lost. We jumped right in and had trouble getting Link to do what we wanted. But as soon as the Nintendo representative gave us a rundown on how everything works. we had no trouble doing what we needed to do. A little fair constantly follows Link around in Phantom, and this is essentially how you tell Link where to move.

By tapping on the screen or moving the stylus around you'll move the fairy with Link following right after her. If you scratch up and down on the screen Link will use his slash attack. Scratch twice to the right or left and Link will dash in that direction. Tap on an enemy to attack or scratch in a full 360 degree circle around Link to use his spin slash technique.

The E3 demo contained four areas that were all linked to one another. Going in order, the first area was an adventure on the high seas. Before you begin your journey, you'll be presented with a map of your voyage. You'll need to draw your route on the map to determine how you'll get from point A to point B. Once you're on your way you can change the course at any time by pulling the map back up and drawing in a new course. While Link is sailing you can move the camera around by moving the stylus around the screen. When an enemy is sighted, simply tap on the enemy to shoot the ships cannon.