12 cert, Nintendo/Grezzo, Nintendo 3DS ***

The Zelda series is enormous, but the old-fashioned role-playing format requires patience. And, while this latest instalment takes a while to get going, it does eventually become quite endearing.

Set in Kokiri Forest on the cusp of invasion, you play the familiar green-clad slightly androgynous elf who must go on a quest to fend off bad forces. There are the RPG standards like weapon and item menus, exploration, puzzle solving and dialogue to read. The graphics are very attractive and the 3D is nice. It’s easy to see why it’s a popular franchise, despite an almost fatal case of the Cutes. Complaints about its twee tone are well founded. But to paraphrase Henry Higgins, I grew accustomed to its interface. With intuitive gameplay and a lovely aesthetic, this latest Zelda grows more beguiling as it progresses.