Latest ‘Zelda’ adventure is bigger, bolder, better

The most anticipated Nintendo Wii video game of the year is less than a week away from release, but we've got a "first impressions" review for you here.

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ($49.99; rated "Everyone 10+") is a huge and ambitious single-player adventure, and what it lacks in graphics (because of the limitations of the aging console) it more than makes up in engaging gameplay, tight controls and overall value.

Quite simply, it's one of the most magical Zelda games in the franchise's rich, 25-year history.

Once again, you play as a young boy named Link, who vows to rescue his childhood companion, Zelda, who was kidnapped by an evil force.

Zelda — not yet a princess in this prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time— was snatched from the peaceful floating islands of Skyloft and taken to the dangerous surface world below. To aid in his quest, Link is presented with the magical Skyward Sword, which houses a spiritual aid named Fi; she resides inside the blade when Link needs some guidance. There is more to the plot — a lot more, in fact — but don't worry about spoilers here as we want you to experience the epic tale for yourself.

Control and flight are two of the key differences between Skyward Sword and previous Zelda games.

With the former, the game takes advantage of Wii MotionPlus technology to synchronize your real-world movements with the controller and Link's swordplay in the game. Whether you're holding the sword skyward (up) to charge its magic, slicing diagonally, jabbing forward or performing a spin attack, all the actions are precisely mirrored in the game. Shake the nunchuk controller to raise your shield during combat or to perform a preemptive shield bash against an opponent. Puzzle solving is also performed with this added precision, and it feels great.

You can look around the world of Hyrule from a first-person perspective by holding the C button and pointing the Wii Remote to the screen, which initiates "dowsing"; this triggers a sound and vibration that gets louder and stronger when you're facing an important object.

Link can also hop on the back of a giant bird, known as a Loftwing, and soar the unfriendly skies. Controlling your ride takes a bit of practice, but you'll tilt the Wii Remote to fly in a given direction, shake up and down to flap the bird's wings and press the A button for a temporary speed burst.

Much of the gameplay, however, focuses on exploring vast lands (including multiple dungeons, towns and deserts), bypassing traps and other obstacles, engaging in real-time combat, talking with characters and amassing an inventory of items that can be used to upgrade weapons and equipment.

Visually speaking, Skyward Sword is the best-looking Zelda game to date but anyone who spends time gaming on an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC will no doubt feel the graphics are outdated. Also, be prepared for quite a bit of dialogue. It's often repetitive, too, so younger gamers may grow tired of reading all the text (and no, these lines aren't spoken aloud).

Despite its few shortcomings, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an extraordinary adventure, whether you're new to the franchise or a longtime fan. It cleverly fuses multiple play mechanics together — action, exploration, platforming, flying, puzzle-solving and some role-playing — all wrapped in a lengthy, enchanting tale. And the game feels amazing, thanks to MotionPlus technology.

Skyward Sword isn't just the best Nintendo Wii game of 2011, but perhaps the finest Nintendo Wii game ever.

While it's $20 more than the standalone game, you can consider the $69.99 bundle that also includes a gold-coloured Wii Remote Plus controller and a music CD with orchestral arrangements of various Zelda songs.