“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” for the Nintendo Gamecube continues the long line of excellence that the series has been known for.

Over 20 years ago, a gem of a game came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System in a shiny gold cartridge. Little did we know the promise that would be contained in that game case. The Legend of Zelda for the NES introduced gamers to the fantastic land of Hyrule, a land filled with the beauty of vast lush forests, deep oceans, barren desserts, and the danger hidden within. It was a land in which anything the player could dream of seemed possible; it was a land where wonders abound around every corner.

In Twilight Princess, you once again take control of Link, the young elf warrior, who sets out on a journey to save the land of Hyrule from the darkness of the twilight realm. During your journeys you control Link in either elf or wolf form. This is a new element to the Zelda series and for the most part it’s a welcomed one.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the world in which you play in is brought to life in the most vivid and glorious manner. The different areas you visit while on your quest is truly a sight to behold. The water effects in particular really show off the attention to detail and all the hard work that the programmers put into this game. This is one of the best looking Gamecube games on the market, and it shows that even though the Gamecube has been out for a while it still has the ability to marvel us.

The controls are spot on: control is responsive and performs without a delay, although I find when you’re playing in wolf form, the learning curve takes some time to adjust to. As a wolf, you do everything you would expect a wolf to do: you run, you bite, pounce, and spin around whipping your tail (OK, maybe not that last one).

If you’ve played any of the previous titles in this series, then you should know what to expect when Link is in elf form. Link runs, rolls, and rides his beloved horse, Epona around the vast country side. Spotty controls and a bad camera system have ruined other lesser adventure titles, but you don’t have to worry about bad controls ruining your playing experience. Whether you are fighting through a dungeon or simply spending some time on the lake fishing, the controls will ensure you a fun time.

Zelda games have always impressed in the audio department, and “Twilight Princess” is no exception. You can tell that the audio was important to the game makers from the very start of the game. Your ears will be delighted and enveloped in rich symphony quality music and sound.In a quest like this and everything from sweeping grandiose ballets to the simple sounds of horse hooves moving on earth and wood terrain, have been included and perfected. I especially like how during certain moments of the game the player is rewarded with classic sounds from Zelda games of yester year.

The only complaint, and this could really be considered just nitpicking mind you, is the lack of speech in the game. I must warn you that there is a lot of reading in “Twilight Princess,” so if your not a fan of text, then you might want to play another less text- driven game. When you read text that characters are supposed to be speaking to you, it is accompanied by noise that sounds like it’s coming from Charlie Brown’s teacher. This by no means detracts from the over all experience of the game, but it is worth noting.

This is a great example in game making. When people wonder why a person would waste time playing video games, this is the type of game that gamers can be proud to point out that they play. “Twilight Princess” not only compels the player to want to finish the 60 plus hour quest, but it guarantees you’ll have a hell of a time doing it. There is nothing controversial about this game, and while it can be too dark in places for the very young, most gamers, no matter what the age, should have no problems playing it. “Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” is one of those rare titles that get almost everything right.