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When it arrived in 1993, Link's Awakening was instantly heralded as the greatest adventure game on the Game Boy - and rightly so. Imagine it. The brilliance of the 16-bit Super NES game crammed into the tiny grey casing and involving Nintendo mascot Link in an entirely new adventure available only to Game Boy owners. You simply cannot play this game anywhere else and this probably accounted for the majority of sales of Nintendo's Super Game Boy, which allowed Super NES owners to play hand-held games on their home machine.

Well the good news is that for the launch of the Game Boy Color, Nintendo has gone back and touched up Link's Awakening; bringing multi-coloured hues to the game and also including a few hidden extras - like a brand new dungeon and extra enemies to fight.

Take a look at the screenshots - it really is a stunning looking game considering the tiny cartridge it's running on, and it's only when you start Link's journey on the beach of Koholint island that you appreciate just what a superb game this is.

Having been shipwrecked following a brief animated sequence, Link is found by the locals and nursed back to health. As with the four previous Zelda games (on the NES), Link's Awakening is viewed exclusively from above and slightly to the side to give an accurate sense of depth, and running on the Game Boy Color, for the first time you begin to realise just how detailed the graphics are - everything from the grass textures to the way the many puzzle rooms use subtle shading to guide you through.

Gameplay is simple (well, it has to be - there are only two buttons!), you move around with the D-pad and use the A button to swipe your sword and charge up a super move (provided you get a sword of course), and B to deend with your shield.

It's incredibly easy to get the hang of, and even when the controls are complicated further with the introduction of new weapons, such as the claw, the game guides you through every step of the way, sometimes providing practice ranges to hone your skills.

In fact, that's one of the Zelda games' greatest assets. You are never left to fend for yourself in the beginning thanks to helpful characters dotted around the island who give you tips, and you can even find a reference library. Try to lift a rock, for example, and you are told "you won't be able to lift that with just your bare hands" a clue that you will need a glove of some kind.

Link's Awakening is not a game you can just pick up and play in the same way as Tetris because it demands a great deal of attention and you can't just save anywhere. Keep this game for long journeys or free weekends because to really enjoy the intricate storyline and sense of adventure you must invest some time in it and be prepared for some really tough puzzles and end-of-level bosses. Make no mistake, Link's Awakening is just as chalenging as its 16-bit brother, but that's what makes it so appealing - something you can really get your teeth into.

As a re-released colour game, Link's Awakening is an essential purchase; along with Tetris, RC Pro-Am and one of the Mario games. Perfectly suited to the Game Boy, packed with intrigue and extremely easy to get into, we cannot recommend it enough. Arguably the greatest Game Boy game ever made and it deserves to be in your slot. Buy it.