Back in the NES days, this was a popular title. Porting it to the GBA was a bad idea. Seriously disappointing!
The graphics, sound, and game play of this game are so incredibly outdated and of such poor quality that I couldn't stand to play it for more than a few minutes. I think most players will find this title to be a disappointment and a poor example of the Zelda series. True, this is the grandfather of the newer games that we enjoy; however, the GBA title The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past is so incredibly superior to this game in every technical way that this one simply shouldn't have been ported to the GBA in my opinion.
My first home video gaming experience was "Pong" (circa late 1970's) followed by the Atari 2600 (circa 1980). I also spent a summer playing on my friend's NES. I even played this Zelda title on that NES. I'm no stranger to video games including very old video game systems. So the nostaglia of this game is not lost on me. I remember this game when it was on the NES; however, the overall quality is so far beneath the standards of the GBA that I didn't enjoy this game at all on the GBA. I think most players will find this iteration of this title a great disappointment on the GBA.
There are some very good ports in the Classic NES Series such as Super Mario Bros. However, when it comes to this Zelda version I recommend you stay away from this Classic NES Series title. A serious disappointment and a waste of time.