Similar to The Wind Waker, you'll hop into a boat and sail to all sorts of exciting places, but instead of actually controlling the ship, you plot a course on the ocean map (using the stylus) and watch the boat travel from point A to point B. You can stop at any time to manipulate the camera for a 360-degree view and fire the ship's canon at the game's enemies, such as marauding pirates and hungry sea creatures. Even upgrade the boat with all sorts of parts, and this customization adds much needed depth to the game.

In addition, Phantom Hourglass contains a multiplayer component, a battle mode in which one player (as Link) collects as many triangle pieces as possible without getting caught by the opposing player who is controling these creatures called Phantoms. It's fun, and the ability to play via AdHoc using a single cartridge (results don't get saved), two cartridges and WiFi connection (letting you play against gamers the world over) adds plenty of replay value, but we don't see ourselves returning to it. An online enabled Four Swords would have been much sweeter.

Phantom Hourglass' controls, combined with the boat segments, make it a quality adventure worth everyone's time. You'll admire the graphics and bury yourself in the numerous side missions. For that, Nintendo deserves credit for shoving such a large world onto a tiny DS cart while retaining everything that makes a Zelda game enjoyable, from the memorable boss encounters to the catchy music (definitely play this game with headphones). Just don't believe all the hype. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a great video game and a must buy, though it's not the evolution we hoped it'd be.