After weeks and weeks and weeks, I had finally beaten Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. I knew that all that determination, all those hours, all those missed meals had paid off. Yet, I knew something was missing. Yes, a great something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it...

The next day, while going through Zelda withdrawl, I came upon tricks and tips, and, better yet, triforce rumors. I thought, "Thank god, a reason to play more Zelda!" I swear, I must have done every trick, explored every rumor. Though all the rumors were false, I got a great adrenaline rush every time I turned on the game, knowing that the triforce just might be in there somewhere...

Finally, reality kicked in, and there were no more rumors. I no longer had too much of a reason to play. Being the emotional person I am, I was saddened that I no longer had a reason to play Zelda. Then, after all those weeks, it hit me. I realized what that empty hole inside me was. I HAD NEVER BEATEN THE FIRST ZELDA GAME!

I was absolutely aghast. I could not believe that, in all these years, I had not finished the game that started it all. So, I immediately ran into my basement, dusted off all my old Nintendo equipment, and was about to proceed into gaming heaven, when, I REALIZED I HAD NEVER BOUGHT THE GAME!

That day was yesterday, March 26, 1999, more than a decade after the game had first come out. Yesterday, I went to FuncoLand, and bought one of the ORIGINAL games, not one of the re-releases, and I came home. I hooked up all the old, dusty wires into my television, unhooking the immense power of the modern Nintendo 64 to put in the plugs to the almost archaic 8-bit, 2-dimensional game. Then, I took the old game out of the sleeve, inserted it in my old system, and hit the power. I thought that I would need to blow on it a couple of times for it to work. I closed my eyes in preparation.

When I heard that music, that glorious music, I opened my eyes, to see the massive array of 8-bit color staring me right in the face. I started a new game that instant, and I relived all the joys I had not felt in years. I'm in front of the fifth dungeon now, which is as far as I ever got when I was younger. I am on long enough only to get down this massive gush of emotion from having experienced Zelda again in words. However, I doubt these emotions will compare with the playing of new levels, levels I have never seen. As soon as I sign off, I will go back to my room again, in endless pursuit of Ganon and Zelda, and I will step into uncharted territory...Dungeon 5. I won't use maps, I won't use startegy guides. I will just play it as I see it...as I did almost a decade ago. I will meet the challenges as I come, and I will feel that surge of adrenaline and emotion...again.