Kohji Kondo's early work was deffinately his best. He was a pioneer with the original Zelda game back in the 80's. Then he topped himself on the SNES with the outstanding Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama brings those to outstanding soundtracks together in one package. Plus, it adds a little something extra to make this collection even more worthwhile.

One part of this soundtrack takes you for a trip in the wayback machine. It contains, in all it's 8-bit glory, the soundtrack of the original Legend of Zelda. Nothing has been changed, it is all straight from the 1986 game. The strange thing is it is still pleasant to listen to. Although short, it contains what may be the most recognizable song this side of Super Mario Bros. in the "Overworld" theme. This is where it all began. Although containing many other short fanfares for moments such as rescuing Princess Zelda, getting a Triforce piece, and of course dying, the only other real songs of substance is the suspenseful "Underworld" and "Death Mountain" pieces. All of these pieces are sure to bring back memories for those who took up the quest to find Zelda, for the first time.

The second part of the collection contains the soundtrack for Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. There is a night and day difference in sound quality between the 1993 Link to the Past and the 1986 Legend of Zelda. A Link to the Past has an actual deep orchestral sound to it, and contains the best music of all the Zelda games. It begins with the "Title" fanfare and the "Overworld" theme hasn't sounded this good before, or even after A Link to the Past. The power of the SNES' music can really be felt in the beautiful "Kakariko Village," and "Dark Overworld" sounds as great now as it did back then. A piece that could overshadow them all is "Hyrule Castle." It pushes the sound capabilities of the SNES and is composed beautifully. The Sound and the Drama also contains the basis for a few pieces that have been used in later parts of the Zelda series. Pieces such as "The Goddess Appears" which has been used as the fairy theme in every game since A Link to the Past. Even the "Ending Theme" shows the musical mastery of Kohjui Konda as it serves as a great ending to one of the best soundtracks of all time.

Now, all of that would make this collection well worth the money. However, Kohji Kondo with the help of Masumi Ito and Yoshiyuki Ito, added a bonus to Sound and the Drama that brings the collection to a whole new level. They made arranged versions of several of the best songs from the Link to the Past soundtrack. Imagine if you will what the pieces would sound like if it where re-made for the Playstation. Not orchestrated, but the sound quality has been enhanced and the endings tweaked somewhat to make them more stand alone pieces rather than gameplay pieces. The arranged songs include: Overworld, Hyrule Castle, Forest Theme, Dark Overworld, The Goddess Appears, and Kakriko Village. All of them are amazing, especially the power pieces from the original Link to the Past soundtrack. Those being "Overworld," "Dark Overworld," and "Hyrule Castle."

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most memorable games of all time, containing some of the most memorable music of all time. It is great that they put the first and the greatest into a single collection, with the arraged pieces as the icing on the cake. This is a must have for any Zelda fan, or maybe even those that didn't get to expierience the early Zelda games and just love great game music. A Link to the Past may even rival Final Fantasy VI for the best music on the SNES.

Overall Score: 10
Best Piece: Hyrule Castle

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