The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the latest game in the Zelda series, released in November 2007 for the Nintendo DS, is an exercise in critical thinking and problem solving and, also, a new classic. It is a direct sequel to 2003's The Wind Waker and has players controlling Link, the main character of both games. At Phantom Hourglass' outset Link is traveling with his female pirate companion, Tetra. She is quickly captured and Link wakes up on a strange island. He quickly befriends several residents. Of particular note is his friendship with treasure hunter Linebeck, who assists Link by offering use of his ship in exchange for promised treasures. Players will sail from island to island collecting clues and traversing dungeons throughout the game, and controlling Link is done entirely with the DS stylus. This opens up room for a plethora of clever puzzles and challenges, and each new item the player finds works in an interesting new way. The player uses boomerang, for example, by drawing out a path for it on the screen, and it follows it exactly. This and other clever items are used for a number of tricky puzzles throughout the game. The player can also pull down the map of nearly any area he is in and jot down notes and hints on it, and this feature is used quite brilliantly in a number of places as well.

Phantom Hourglass' strength is certainly in problem solving. Problems in the game stay clean, fresh and new throughout, and while a few of the puzzles may require a little luck for the most part they are intuitive and a little quick thinking will get players through most dungeons. Creativity is another key factor, particularly on the developer side. Phantom Hourglass is certainly the best example yet of what the Nintendo DS can do and, more importantly, of how to successfully implement stylus control into videogames.

Phantom Hourglass takes place entirely in a fantasy setting, and as such contains very few classroom facts. However, map-based navigation plays a large role in the game. Players can make notes and mark points of interest on maps of nearly any area of the game, and occasionally a puzzle will make use of the maps as well; players may need to draw a line on the map between two trees, for example, and dig at the intersection to find a treasure map. While at sea a compass is also used to navigate, and some simple math is also used in the buying of goods and services.

By the Player:

Phantom Hourglass is a bit linear, but there is certainly plenty of room for players to do what they like. Various islands and dungeons contain plenty of hidden items and treasures that the diligent player will uncover, and there are even entire islands that can be found by randomly sailing around. Players also eventually have access to a number of weapons and tools, most with multiple uses. Most of the time puzzles and enemies will require players discover a specific solution, but a few puzzles can be tackled by several different items, and the clever player will be rewarded by thinking outside the box. Players are also able to customize their ship with a wide selection of parts found throughout the game, though this is mostly cosmetic.

By the Developer:

This is one of the most innovative Zelda titles in long while. The news that the game would be entirely stylus-controlled was met with some skepticism - it had been done, and not particularly well - but Nintendo nailed it. There are some quirks, but for the most part navigating and battling using the stylus feels perfectly natural, and the ingenious use of items and maps in the games puzzles is highly impressive. The game also features a central dungeon; the Phantom Hourglass begins to countdown when they enter it, and players must reach a certain map inside of it before time runs out. As the player defeats bosses they add sand to the Hourglass and the player is able to delve further and further into it, accessing new maps and treasures. This has been done before and it may sound a bit gimmicky, but it is pulled of quite well, and is a challenging and exciting part of the game. In the end, Phantom Hourglass is a bit on the "creative genius" side and is a DS classic that is not to be missed.

Business skills are present in a simple fashion in Phantom Hourglass: players can buy items from stores. Rupees are found in a variety of ways throughout the game and are used to buy ammo, ship parts and inventory expansions throughout the game.

Phantom Hourglass features an interesting multiplayer mode that has one player control Link as he attempts to steal "Force Shards" from a maze and return them to his base as another player controls three guards that are traversing the maze seeking Link. While this mode is interesting and provides some welcome competition, people skills are not really involved. Players simply get online, find a match and finish it, and without any team-based features it doesn't really stress social interaction.

The single player game doesn't have much going in that department either. Non-player-characters are mostly interacted with on the player's behalf by Link's fairy companion, and the player rarely has much say in what happens out side the occasional Yes/No menu. That said, the game does feature a few characters that have a little real character development, and they are written pretty well.

Problem solving is done creatively all throughout Phantom Hourglass, and provides a fresh look at many of the series' trademark puzzles. The ability to guide the boomerang, for example, opens up a world of possibilities. And things don't stop there. Whether players are drawing circles around Link to have him attack, tracing out complicated paths for their remote-controlled bombs, shouting into the DS microphone to stun rabbit-eared enemies or copying symbols onto their maps to solve intricate puzzles the experience is sure to be remembered. While the game isn't too challenging, it is remarkably clever, and many of the games problems require critical thinking more than reflexes or timing.

As a game taking place in a purely fantastic setting, Phantom Hourglass simulates extremely little.

Phantom Hourglass has received high review scores, averaging nearly 90%, and has become a best-selling DS game since its release.

The game features a number of challenging minigames including archery and cannon-firing. It also has a feature that allows players to trade ship parts and treasures with other players online.

Phantom Hourglass has options for left- or right-handed players, as well as standard audio options.

Phantom Hourglass received an E from the ESRB with a descriptor for Fantasy Violence.