Great review!

I dunno, part of me missed the cryptic nature of 1 and 2. A Link to the Past was the beginning of the handholding that would become common later on. Part of the beauty of 1 and 2 was we had absolutely no idea what to do so we just explored everything, then went to school and compared ideas on the playground, then home again to try once more. Ah.... that was fun.

Having said that, I agree about everything else you write. Link to the Past is my favorite Zelda. Like all games at that time, I called the store nonstop for weeks as I waited for it to be released, then I bought it and played it constantly when not in school until I beat it.

In college I sold most of my NES and SNES games. I wish I hadn't, but at the time I was convinced I was making good money by doing it. I'm sure you know how it is. But the one game I didn't sell... A Link to the Past. I still have a box, manual, all the inserts, everything. It is also the first (and sometimes only) rom I put on every computer system I own.