As with every Zelda game, plenty of other tasks await if you're willing to stop and talk to the world's inhabitants. There are bunnies to capture for the local Rabbit Reserve, stamps to collect for an old adventurer who knew a different Link in a former life and treasures to collect for Linebeck, descendant of Linebeck. These treasures can be sold for rupees or traded for upgraded train engines, cars, cannons and cargo cars. Multiplayer makes a return from Phantom Hourglass as well with up to four players via Wi-Fi off of one cart, as players are tasked with collecting as many Force Gems as possible while dodging both phantoms and opponents.

As a showcase for the DS's abilities the game has no peer. Every aspect of the DS is used here from the stylus only control, to the top screen which serves as a map when traveling and dungeon crawling and an extension of the bottom screen when in boss battles. Maps can be annotated with notes, and saved indefinitely, drawings must be made to open doors. Even the microphone is used as Link plays the Spirit Flute, a pan flute of sorts, to awaken statues, call forth hidden wonders or shine beams of lights for puzzle purposes. The cartoony graphical style is right at home on the diminutive platform and the music, oh the music is an absolute joy to listen to, making headphones a must.

It's not often I can use the word "joy" to describe any aspect of a game, but as with previous Zelda games, I use it freely with Spirit Tracks. The game is simply a joy to play, deftly combining brain bending puzzles, classic boss battles and casual, breezy travel. The sights, the sounds, the characters, the environments, they all combine to make a game that may not represent as much of a move forward as its predecessor, but represents a high watermark in both handheld gaming and video games in general.