The Legend of Zelda is preparing to mount (mind the pun) a huge comeback with the release of Twilight Princess forthcoming this winter. And one sequence in the game heavily relies on some horseback fighting action that sits right up there with some of the great battle sequences from movies, such as Lord of the Rings and Braveheart among others.

The sequence involves Link hopping aboard a friendly steed and then finding himself suddenly surrounded by enemy soldiers, all to the call of a large soldier with a rather large bullhorn of sorts. They shoot projectiles at him and also try to ride alongside him, hoping to swipe away his precious energy. Link must rely on his quick skills and the horse's maneuvering to survive, and the gameplay involved here is smooth and effective.

For instance, you can buck up your horse's speed thanks to a multi-energy system indicated in the middle of the screen in correspondence with your A button. Hit it a few times to get the necessary speed boost, but don't overdo it or you'll tucker out your ride. As you proceed, you can swipe at enemies with the B button, hitting them a certain number of times in order to take them out. This battle system is terrific, keeping up with the intensity of the series while still getting something new out of it.

During the battle, Link can stop everything and boost up on energy with the help of the Y button, which will replenish his energy meter. Obviously, this will depend on whether you have the necessary food or water in the final game, but the fact that you can power up without enemies taking cheap shots at you is a nice touch indeed.

We'll have more detailed hands-on reports of Legend of Zelda as E3 proceeds, but the game's horse riding action appears to be shaping up beautifully. And that's no hay.