Shortly after E3 2005, I had the chance to check our Nintendo's forthcoming releases in a Post-E3 event in London - and I was delighted to get some hands on experience with The Legend Of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, which had several fully created levels up and running in all their glory. I'm a massive fan of the franchise, having completed The Ocarina of Time and Mask of Majora on Nintendo 64 (now available on Gamecube too!), as well as the simply incredible Wind Waker on Gamecube. Diving straight into the Forest Temple, I was astonished at what I saw.

To start with, the graphics have been completely reinvented, replacing the sublime cartoon style of The Wind Waker with a look very similar to the N64 titles, yet completely new, and with the power of the Gamecube clearly being used to the full, everything looks stunning.

Attacked straight away by a couple of highly detailed and beautifully animated lizard men, I quickly got my bearings and was fighting them off in no time; the locking on, dodging, strafing and attacking mechanisms largely remain the same as before. I despatched the first lizard man and was delighted to discover a quite brutal finishing move, which I used upon the second, where Link leaps upon his fallen opponent and thrusts his sword straight through it. With the enemies vanquished, I took a moment to check out the gorgeous surroundings; rocky walls, amazingly detailed trees, fully animated grass (complete with rupees hidden inside when you cut it away) and fluffy seeds floating gently through the air. A plant attacked me and after chopping its neck off I picked up the big seed it left behind and threw it at the pesky spider blocking the vines that I clearly needed to climb. Once up, I heaved open a circular rock door and was into the temple.

As I played through this spectacular level, the true beauty and subtlety of the new graphics engine became apparent; fluid and ultra-realistic animation in every respect for Link and the various enemies he faces, highly detailed textures, amazing splash and ripple effects when you fall into the water and start swimming, superb lantern light effects in dark caves, the list goes on. After defeating a big spider and being treated to the classic chest opening animation (now looking better than ever and still accompanied by the familiar theme we all know and love) I found my trusty boomerang, now with added wind. This can be used as a weapon against bad guys, to spin wind-activated switches and to uncover loose floor coverings to find the secrets beneath your feet. There were also a number of friendly monkeys to rescue in the Forest Temple, very amusing little guys who follow you around and hang from ropes to swing you across gaps too wide to jump across yourself! Zelda never fails to find new ways to innovate and add extra depth to the already fantastic gameplay, and Twilight Princess is no exception.

I could go further in my exploration of the Forest Temple, but I don't want to give too much away, so I'll leave it there and move onto the next level I took a quick look at, set at the start of Link's journey in his home village. We begin with a bit of goat herding on horseback (Epona returns, fans of the series will be delighted to hear!) and then head into the village where Link can chat to the various inhabitants and explore a bit before his big adventure begins, a village that's beautifully crafted with more loving attention to detail than in any previous Zelda game.

The final level I played through was all on horseback, with Link pitted against a whole horde of mounted baddies with swords, lances, clubs and bows. Charging around the plains has never been so much fun and the controls for locking onto enemies and bashing them off their horses, even at this early stage, are very natural and intuitive. I was treated to wonderful changing weather effects during this battle too, watching as the sky darkened and gradually clouded over, only for it to pour down with a lovely rain effect for a few minutes before the rain thinned out and stopped, then the sun came out once more. It all looks spectacular and captures that feeling of excitement and adventure perfectly, as you fight off the minions while pursuing the boar-mounted boss who is tricky to catch up to and takes a number of hits to remove all his armour before you can make the final strike that sends him fleeing through a gate. Quickly pursuing, I ended up in a face-off situation on a narrow stone bridge with no walls - tense stuff. You both charge head on at each other and you must dodge away from the boar at the last moment and strike the boss as you speed past - let him hit you head on and you're sent spiralling to your doom in the chasm below.

Suffice to say, this taster of things to come with the new Zelda game has got me incredibly excited - and knowing that there will be many temples to battle and puzzle through, plains to ride across and villages to explore, along with all manner of objects to find and use in a variety of clever ways, racks that excitement up to fever pitch. I can barely wait until November - I hate to wish away the summer (with the vague prospect of a bit of sunny weather) but this is one hell of an incentive to bring on the cold!

This preview is an excerpt of our 2005 feature, Nintendo Post E3 Games Tour. For the full feature, check out these links to the Nintendo Gamecube and Nintendo DS sections.

Previewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).