Often referred to as the "black sheep" of the Zelda series, The Adventure of Link offers plenty to gamers...
Set several years after the original, we find that Princess Zelda has been cast into a deep slumber by an evil wizard. It's up to you to place a crystal at the end of each of six complex (and quite difficult) palaces around Hyrule, in order to open the entrance of the seventh and final Great Palace. There lies the Triforce of Courage, which has the power to awaken Zelda's from her curse.
Zelda II differs from its predecessor in several ways. Instead of using the top-down map view to scroll through and battle enemies, Link enters a side-scrolling view when walking through caves, villages or palaces. If Link ventures off the beaten path for too long while travelling from place to place, enemies will appear and, if touched, will throw our adventurer into a brief battle.
What was unique for its time was the game's push to make swordplay as realistic as the 8-bit system would allow. Using his shield, Link can deflect rocks, sword blows and sometimes even spells by ducking or standing at the right times. This makes for intense showdowns in the palace dungeons, where players will be forced to think before every swing of the blade.
The Adventure of Link also includes an RPG-inspired levelling system, where defeating enemies and collecting items accumulates experience points to improve health and magic bars, as well as attack strength. Every village Link visits also has a magician to grant him special powers to help him on his quest. Two of these villages also have a swordsman to teach Link new offensive abilities.
These upgrades will come in handy, as this is known to be the most difficult game of the entire series. Even though there is a life count to help keep you going after your character bites the bullet, it usually takes several Game Overs to get past seemingly endless hordes of enemies near the end of the game.
In the end, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link looks and feels like a Zelda game. Even though its difficulty and different style may have turned players off, it's important to note that every game in the Zelda franchise has an aspect that differentiates itself from the others. The quirks of this worthy sequel are overlooked when the accomplishment sets in at the end of the game... once you manage to get there.