But is it worth it? Well, yes, but probably not what you think. Link's Crossbow Training is perhaps the best reason you'll want the Wii Zapper... but so far, it's the only reason you'll want one.

First off, let's talk about the Zapper. It's nothing more than a piece of plastic to holster your Nunchuk and Wii remote in, so in essence, you don't need it to play any of the games on the Wii, including Link's Crossbow Training. Or, if you're curious and bored like I was, you can try playing other Wii titles, like Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports, with it and see how it goes. If you really want to know, it works with Galaxy but doesn't really work with Wii Sports at all. Especially not boxing.

In the interest of fairness, I have not had the chance to check out the Wii Zapper on games like Ghost Squad, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 or Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, but other impressions are mixed at the time of publication. Whether you'll find it useful will depend both on the games you're playing and your own personal preference.

As for Link's Crossbow Training, the game runs off the Twilight Princess game engine, and thus, the graphics and sound are pretty much the same as that game. In other words, it looks good and sounds good. The most important element here is how the game plays and controls, and as it stands, Crossbow Training handles itself well. Using the trigger on the underside of the gun and Wii remote to point at targets, Crossbow Training offers pin-point accuracy with little lag.

What does this mean for you? It means you point the gun and shoot, and it works like it should.

There's also a challenge mode in the game, with a wide variety of charges, from hitting targets for points to mowing down waves of enemies. Power-ups like automatic firing help you achieve some of these goals and make the game fun. The big downside to all of this, though, is that it's a very, very short title: you're certainly able to beat it in an afternoon. You can always go back to try and improve your score, but it might become like Wii Sports has become. Which, for those of you who don't know, means that it'll get shuffled aside in a few weeks when the next big game (No More Heroes, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, etc.) comes to the Wii.

Link's Crossbow Training is a solid game, though a short and simple one. However, the situation is opposite of Wii Play: instead of buying the peripheral and getting the game with it, you'll likely be buying this for the game and getting the Wii Zapper with it. The Zapper itself has some potential for FPS games... but judging from other impressions I've read, there's not much use for it. If you don't play FPS titles or have no interest in Link's Crossbow Training, don't bother with the Wii Zapper just yet.

Pros: Running off the Twilight Princess engine, Crossbow Training is a well-assembled title for both hardcore and casual gamers, though the latter group may get more out of it. Graphics look good, game play is fun.

Cons: It's still a glorified tech demo, no matter how you look at it, and is incredibly short. The Wii Zapper does not have much use outside of Link's Crossbow Training yet.

Link's Crossbow Training is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Fantasy Violence.