The Legend Continues

Sequels — whether to movies or to wars — rarely receive more acclaim than the originals. Not so in the video-game world. The 11th installment in Nintendo's Zelda series, Wind Waker (GameCube, $49.99), was released last week after racking up a record 600,000 preorders. Fans of 1998's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — hailed by many as the greatest console game ever — will not be disappointed. Set centuries after Ocarina, Wind Waker takes the form of a pirate-ship quest across an oceanic world. Legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario Bros., Donkey Kong) has packed the adventure with echoes of and improvements on its predecessors' puzzles. The cartoon-like graphics are pure eye candy — sumptuously smooth and lovingly detailed. (Check out the heat haze from flames or your hero's wet footprints as he crawls out of the sea.) We can't wait for the sequel.