The Minish Cap will immediately feel familiar to anyone has played a previous Zelda title. You control the hero, commonly referred to as Link (though you do get to choose your own name) and you must rescue the Princess Zelda from whatever fate has befallen her. This time, it would appear that Zelda has been turned to stone by the evil wizard Vaati. At a ceremony to honor Vaati for winning a sword-fighting tournament at the annual festival, Vaati destroys the sacred Bound Chest and the sacred sword that is sealing it and releases monsters across the land of Hyrule. Vaati then attacks Zelda, who is believed to hold the power of light that he is after, and turns her to stone.

The only way to seal the chest once again and return Zelda to life is to get the sword re-forged with the help of the Picori. Since the fabled Picor -, small Smurf-sized creatures that live in the forest - can only be seen by children, Link is presented with this task to seek their assistance. Along the way, Zelda encounters a rather odd creature named Ezlo. This creature is the Minesh Cap as referred to in the title. With its help, Link can shrink down to the size of the Picori and hope to get their help.

This dynamic of changing size is not only useful for meeting the small woodland creatures, but also is very useful in solving a number of puzzles. There are many times when you must shrink down to fit into a hole or a crack or some other small space in order to reach what is in the next room.

In addition to this magical quality, Ezlo also offers advice to Link. Throughout the quest, if you ever get stuck, Ezlo will often offer you advice on where to proceed next to whom to speak. This helps to alleviate much of the frustration that can occur when you simply don't know where to go, but is cryptic enough that it doesn't spoil and still gives you a sense of accomplishment when you finally reach your goal.

While changing in size is great, it would really be helpful if Link could get some help. Well, he gets help in probably the best form he could-himself! Along the way, Link is granted the power to multiply! These clones that are created are mirror images of yourself and only last for a short time, but again, add a new puzzle challenge for you to think about while wondering how to get past certain places in the game. It's also fun to cut down grass four times as fast to find any hidden items that may be lurking in the fields!

As with most Zelda games, the game sends you to seek out certain items found in a number of dungeons. Each dungeon usually presents you with some new item to help you to solve the dungeon along with a number of keys and enemies. These items range from your standard sword and shield, which you receive very early in your adventure, to the Gust Jar - a vacuum like device - to a magical cane that lets you flip over items. Each of these items has its own unique use and is required to reach different parts of the world. Often times you will pass by a certain area early in your quest that is not accessibly until you acquire one of these items that will allow you to return and find what is hidden.

Along with the standard quest, there are also numerous side quests that you can choose to do. Zelda veterans will be familiar with the quest for heart pieces that are hidden throughout the land and give you more health as you find them. A new addition to this game is the Kin stones. These stones are puzzle-like pieces which you acquire along you way. Talking with different people will allow you to see if your half matches in with their half, granting some sort of reward. Some of these are required for the main quest, but are mostly to gather additional items such as more rupees (money) or heart pieces. They do add a fun collection quest to the game is one more thing to try and complete while attempting to save the princess and the kingdom from Vaati.

The style of Minish Cap is very similar to that of the GameCube titles that have been released - the Wind Waker and the Four Swords. The whole world has a much more animated look and feel to it which is uses to help draw you into the fantasy that is the Legend of Zelda. While the Wind Waker met with many complaints when it was released on the GameCube, this style works very well for the 2D adventure that the GameBoy Advance provides.

The sound and music will, again, be immediately familiar to fans of the Zelda series. The classic theme song, the dungeon sounds, the yell of Link as he attacks an enemy are all here. Many new musical themes have been added since this game has many new locations. Each of these is as memorable as the last and you just might find yourself humming along without even realizing it.

The game, as with most RPG's, contains a lot of reading. As such, younger children may become frustrated with the amount, or difficulty, involved in so much reading. While it was not usually important to read what was being said, there were times when it was required to proceed and parents may need to help out their younger children in some instances. However, this is not a bad thing since this game will appeal to all ages! Just remember to give your child back the game if they were playing it first.

While it may have been a few years, the wait was definitely worth it. Nintendo has, once again not disappointed, with this latest offering. The Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap is an excellent game and one you will have a hard time putting down.