In the world of handhelds where porting is king, it’s refreshing to see games created from the ground up. In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Link once again must save the land of Hyrule from an evil sorcerer, Vaati, and restore his long time love Princess Zelda, who has been turned into stone by the main villain.

Your quest to rid the world of Evil, and restore your fair maiden will be aided by a sentient hood aptly entitled the Minish cap. The Minish cap is given to you be a tiny race of people by the same name, and has the effect of turning you into the size of a wee little one. You and your trusty cap will search all over the world to find the four elements (earth, wind, water, fire), and infuse them into a blade that you’ll use to defeat the evil Vaati.

Thanks to the premise of the elements and dynamic of the Minish cap, developer Flagship had an opportunity to present a great audio visual experience – which they clearly did. Graphics weren’t just rehashed from previous Zelda outings on the Gameboy Advance; they were created from scratch. What you see has a very Wind Waker type of quality to it. The over the top elements that are introduced graphically when Link turns into a tiny hero are impressive, and each of the four dungeons where you’ll find the elements are vastly different looking. In general The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is top notch for the handheld market. The audio sports a lot of remixing of previous Zelda tunes, combined with all the new original scoring. It's standard Zelda fair -- which is pretty much the equivalent of saying it's great stuff.

Your search for the essential elements will require you to comb every inch of four ancient temples, each of which is filled to the brim with hidden treasure. However players should definitely have a go at some of the optional side quests found in the game. The side quests could easily double your play time with The Minish Cap, and conversely without them you’re looking at quite a short gaming experience.

Link will sport the basic arsenal of moves he’s been using since his 16-bit era days, in addition to all new attacks that he’ll be able to learn. By finding the appropriate trainer you’ll be able to perform countless new moves like spin attacks, thrusts, and more.

You’ll also be able to copy yourself 3 times in certain places, allowing you to put the experience you gained in Four Swords last year to good use. And if that’s not enough you can also use new items and new weapons on top of the gadgets long time Zelda fans have come to know.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a great way to start your year on the Gameboy Advance. If you’re not strapped for cash after the holiday season considered trying this handheld marvel out – you won’t be disappointed.