Built perfectly for the DS. A good play, but there have been more challenging Zelda installments.
The story isn't much different from other Zelda games, except it's based in the middle of the ocean, and it's not Zelda who goes missing. You're traveling along in your boat with a pirate crew, and, from out of nowhere, a ghost ship appears. Next thing you know, Tetra (the girl on the ship) gets kidnapped, and then you have to save her. You spend the hours travelling from island to island, finding Spirits and new weapons and sand (yes, sand) to get through a labyrinth to find Tetra (or at least a clue).
The graphics are pretty well for a DS game. Everything is 3-D and cartoony, like it's predecessor Windwaker. Again, the characters communcate via moving their heads and waving their arms, which can be entertaining sometimes. The music is also classic Zelda.
Combat in P.H. takes a little getting used to; instead of button mashing, you bring the stylus across the screen to swipe. The stylus also works pretty well for the other weapons as well. Admittedly, enemies are a little easy to the seasoned veteran. And the boss fights become a little too straight forward when you figure it out.
The puzzles make a comeback. Most of the puzzles will be easy to figure out, while some will make you scratch your head in thought. A few will even have you screaming, because some will seem difficult, but have aggravatingly simple solutions.
Getting from place to place is a downside in this game. Like in Windwaker, you get around via boat. An upside to this is that you don't manually drive. Instead, you plot your course on a map, and, after a few minutes, you arrive. The boat is also customizable, so you don't have to look at the same steam boat for the duration of the voyage. An to use the cannon, just tap the screen.
Overall, Phantom Hourglass is a must play. While you will probably spend most of the time sailing, and easily chopping down the monsters, any Zelda fan will enjoy it.