"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" holds a very special place in my heart. And so too, does its music. Far darker and more serious than past Zelda scores, it was unlike anything I'd ever heard from Koji Kondo. This is definitely not your typical Mario or Yoshi score. That's not to say that the entire album is dark and moody. The music here ranges from light-hearted and playful to dramatic and beautiful.

Many familiar themes return, such as "Kakariko Village". However, there are a few new places in the land of Hyrule. "Zora's Domain" has an extremely beautiful Carribean-like rhythm. "Gerudo Valley" has a Spanish/Mexican flare and is so catchy, you'll not get it out of your head for some time. Hyrule Castle Town ("Market") is lively and sounds like it would be packed with people, making me think of a Renaissance Fair. And "Kokiri Forest" is very innocent and playful. Just like its child inhabitants who will never grow up.

"Zelda's Theme" is back, and is even more beautiful than it was in "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past". "Ganondorf's Theme" is just as wicked as ever, especially its rendition "Inside Ganon's Castle". It contains three variations of his theme performed on an organ. I've never heard Ganondorf's theme sound so menacing and destructive. "Kaepora Gaebora's Theme" is simply lovely. It sounds old and wise, perfectly fitting for a wise ol' owl. "Ingo's Theme" is very well done (I love that banjo!), and "Shiek's Theme", with its wonderful harp, matches his poetic nature. "Koume and Katake's Theme" is so much fun and cunning.

There are many choral tracks, such as "Temple of Time", "Legend of Hyrule", and "Chamber of Sages", which are all beautiful and well done. I could hardly tell the chorus was synthesized. But, what are probably the most impressive selections are the dungeon themes (or Temples). "Forest Temple" is by far one of, if not the, most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard in a videogame. It is hauntingly beautiful, with what sounds like rattling bones (my wierd imagination!) and someone shrieking. "Fire Temple" is epic and powerful, with what I'm convinced is a true-to-life male chorus chanting devilish hymns. "Water Temple" is beautiful and aquatic, and sounds Mediterranean. "Shadow Temple" sounds just like an evil place that tells all about Hyrule's bloody past of hatred and greed. And "Spirit Temple" is a beautiful Egytian-like piece.

Many people criticized OoT for not having the original "Legend of Zelda" theme. While I won't speak blasphemy and say that "Hyrule Field Main Theme" is anywhere near as exceptional, it is great in its own right. If you listen closely, you'll even catch a few notes from the original. The theme has three renditions as well: upbeat and adventurous when Link is on his way, threatening and dangerous when Link is engaging in battle, and peaceful and serene when taking a glance at his beautiful surroundings. I think Koji Kondo maybe wanted to try something new, and I applaud him for it.

I do, however, have complaints. My complaints are geared strictly toward the individuals in charge of producing this OST. Firstly, "Fire Temple" is a disappointment. Where is the male chorus? That was my favorite part of the song. It was the first track I wanted to listen to when I got the OST. I was very impressed with its clarity, and was enjoying the powerful bass drum and tambourine, only to have it fade out at the 45 second mark. Very disappointing. Which leads me to my next complaint. Why wasn't this OST sold as a double-disc set? Each track only plays through once, and they obviously ran out of space (about 12 seconds of the "Water Temple" was left out as well). This soundtrack really should have been two CDs (I'm glad Nintendo went with Pioneer for the Majora's Mask OST). Lastly, one of my favorite boss battle tracks ever, "Dinosaur Boss Battle", is missing its chorus. The last two segments featured a female then male chorus, but not on this disc. Oh well. This is still a classic score nonetheless.

Also worth special mention is "Last Battle". It is an epic and beautiful song, complete with a full chorus. As far as all-time best final boss themes go, this, and Sephiroth's "One-Winged Angel" share the number one spot.

Overall, this is a true gem that you definitely should not pass up. Koji Kondo is one of the industry's best composers. And Ocarina of Time is probably his best work as of 1998. A few may not give this OST a chance due to the bad reputation the N64's sound board has earned over the years. That is unfortunate, and it would be their loss. The synthesis may not be the best, but when it comes to composition, no one can match Koji Kondo in my eyes. Get your hands on this disc. Believe me, you'll be glad you did.

It's true. The Japanese versions of Nintendo soundtracks are better than the American versions, and The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Original Soundtrack is no exception. If you thought the American release was above average, go for this album! It's got all, I mean, *all* the music from the game - dungeons, towns, character themes, titles, and all. What a delight!

There is only one word to describe this music on this soundtrack album, and that is *spectacular*. It takes advantage of classic Zelda themes, as well as introducing new ones. A few examples of classic themes reused: the "Title Theme" takes advantage of the famous whistle motif heard in Zelda I. The "Hyrule Field Main Theme" has the first couple of notes from the classic Overworld theme (something that lets us all know that this is Zelda), but the rest of it is all brand new, and different, and moody. (It changes to furious and exciting about halfway between the song. It's a fudgy, but unique, transition.) "Zelda's Theme", "Great Fairy's Fountain", "Kakariko Village", "Master Sword", and "Ganondorf's Theme" all were introduced in The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past. Well, here they are again, upgraded by the Nintendo 64's sound system.

The other music is all new and equally impressive. Although the dungeon theme tracks (especially "Dodongo's Cavern") are ambient and not necesarily the most comforting tracks, they suit the tone of the dungeons very well, whether you're going through the Forest Temple, the Fire Temple, the Water Temple, or so on. My personal favorite of these dungeon themes is "Inside Ganon's Castle", which is basically three variations of "Ganondorf's Theme" performed by an organ! It's such a spooky, scary track, that you'll probably get the chills whenever you listen to it.

There are also some new catchy themes for the game's new places, such as the carefree, childish "Kokiri Forest", the western song "Lon Lon Ranch", the celtic "Market", and the beautiful "Zora's Domain". Many game music fans consider "Gerudo Valley" the best out of these new themes. From listening to it, I can see why. It's got a great beat, as well as a strong melody - as if you're galloping on a horse.

But arguably the most impressive tracks on the soundtrack (in my opinion, that is) are the choral tracks. Okay, so they're not actual singers, as in "One Winged Angel" in Final Fantasy VII, but hey, they sound awfully darn good for being synthesized. The "Temple Of Time" sounds like a Gregorian chant performed by a men's chorus, while "Chamber of the Sages" and "Legend Of Hyrule" call out the sopranos to do what sounds like a heavenly, angelic requiem, as if to symbolize the creation of Hyrule (in the manner of a film score). These tracks, my favorites, are all beautiful, haunting, and occasionally mysterious.

Now it's time to talk about the battle themes. At first I felt a little unsure with "Battle"; it didn't seem all that exciting or dangerous from when I first listened to it on the American CD release. I also felt unsure about "Boss Battle", which is a loud and bombastically noisy cacophony. However, when I played the game, and heard these two cues whenever I went into battle, I realized that they fit perfectly with these scenes in spite of themselves. The other boss battle themes are more melodic and less noisy, with the best of these being the "Last Battle" theme. It's really a cool track - a male chorus moaning along with a dreary yet dangerous ode while a snare drum rolls on furiously. It's a frightening and truly dazzling battle track.

This is truly a modern impressive musical achievement for the Nintendo 64, especially since not all the game scores have been that groundbreaking. While some tracks may not be the most comforting, they contrast with the game perfectly (those who bash this music should play the game - it works really well with it).

As for comparisons with the American release, there are a larger number of tracks on this album - 82 to be exact (the American release had 35 tracks). The Japanese release runs for a staggering 78:01 while the clock on the US one ticks to 72:10. I didn't think it was possible to put all the music from the game onto one disc (there is quite a bit of it in the game), but I was proven wrong. This means that each song is only played once. On the American version, the songs were played twice. One track that is a victim of this act is "Lon Lon Ranch". On the American version, the first time through, it was "sung" by a synthesized voice, the second time, a harmonica. Here, you only get the synthesized voice rendition of "Lon Lon Ranch", not the harmonica version. If you're that ticked off about it, you can get the American version as well, but then, you won't get any liner information (message from the composer, Koji Kondo, as well as the staff credits). Another apparant trim is in the "Fire Temple" music. After the first 45 seconds (in the game), a Japanese male chorus begins chanting and continues for quite a while. Why did they have to exclude it? That was my favorite favorite part! This makes it a bit disappointing that they didn't do a two-CD soundtrack release (and not have the songs play twice), but that's the one weakness with the Japanese release. Do *not* pass this CD up. You won't find the complete music from the game anywhere else.

Lastly, and not that this is a necessity or anything, if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who snagged one of the first 5000 copies of the soundtrack, you'll receive a miniature, toy-like replica of the Ocarina of Time. But whether you're that lucky or not, this CD is a true gem all the same.