Four Links to old-style 'Zelda' entertainment

Players need to cooperate to solve the game, but the urge to duel is irresistible.
By PHIL VILLARREAL
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Depending on your cynicism, "The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures" is either a refreshing and innovative integration of accessories or a blatant marketing effort to make you buy extra stuff to enjoy the newest adventure of Link, everyone's favorite sword-wielding Hyrulean.
To get the most out of the new game, which captures the two-dimensional look and old-school playability of the oldest "Legend of Zelda" titles, you'll need a Game Boy Advance ($69.99) or Game Boy Advance SP ($99.99), as well as a Game Boy Advance Cable ($12.99). One Advance Cable is included with the purchase of the game, but you'll need more if you want to play at the same time with friends.
True Nintendo geeks have all that stuff already and should have no problem plugging and playing. Round up three of your friends, and you can all play together, each controlling different-colored Links as you seek to solve the mystery of the four swords, save six maidens from imprisonment and vie for the hand of Princess Zelda, the eternal kidnap-bait.
The game looks and feels a lot like the ancient Super Nintendo classic "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past," with its overhead view and scaled-down graphics. Link has been split into four separate heroes because he drew a mysterious sword, and he and his three clones must band together to save the world of Hyrule from attack by monsters.
Switching around
Players without GBAs will be able to complete the quest, guiding the four Links along their collective quest and switching control among the characters to enact teamwork. The Links can march in various formations, including a single-file line and a back-to-back-to-back-to-back diamond of circular demolition. Also, one Link can push down a switch brick, activating an invisible bridge, while another member of the party crosses the bridge to grab an item.
The greatest rewards of the game, though, come in the multiplayer mode.
Recalling the friend-brutalizing fun of "Double Dragon 2," players will probably have just as much fun messing with their companions -- smacking them with swords or competing to collect treasures -- than collaborating on the greater effort.
It's a near-irresistible temptation to abandon the quest, give a pal a blind-side swat and engage in a duel. The game encourages this by allowing one Link to hoist another off the ground, rendering the hoistee powerless. A side game, called "Shadow Battle," dispenses with the narrative and has Links fight one another in various dungeon rooms, tournament-style.
Even if you're a pacifist playing with others who want to focus on getting through the game, you'll have to do battle, because only one Link will prevail. It's sort of like the video-game version of "Survivor." Cooperation is necessary until the end, and then it's Link eat Link.
X"The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures," by Nintendo for GameCube, is rated E for everyone.