My co-worker brought in his Nintendo DS and his brand new copy of the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass into work yesterday so I could check it out. All I’ve heard from him for months is that despite all the games coming out on every console these days, the DS remains his favorite system. He’s been trying to convince me to get one of my own. And, let me tell you, Phantom Hourglass may just be the thing that turns indifferent curiosity into rampant desire.

I picked it up in a dungeon. Moving around took some getting used to as the closer you move the stylus, the slower Link follows your motions around. Slashing the sword also too practice, as you are required to quickly move the stylus back and forth in the general direction you want to slash. Or, alternatively, you could simply click the enemy, and Link would run right up and begin wailing away at the poor creature. I’m not usually one to relinquish control of my gaming without a fight, but in this instance, very little interaction yielded particularly satisfying results.

I then exited the dungeon and hopped on the ship for a quick jaunt around the oceanic overworld. This area of the game was approximately infinity times more entertaining than the oceanic voyages that existed in the Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker, which was Phantom Hourglass‘ GameCube predecessor. You simply sketch out the route you want to travel, and hit “Go”. The ship begins moving, and you are free to blow up random creatures (or birds sailing overhead), stop and search for treasure (which involves a fun “ski slope” type minigame), jump/avoid traps, or initiate detours to investigate nearby oddities.

Keep in mind that I only played for roughly 7 minutes. I was enthralled.

So, needless to say (but I’m saying it anyway), the DS Lite has moved up in importance on my wish list.