When people think of The Legend of Zelda, they think of Link, Zelda, and Ganon. However, they also think of Tingle. They may not admit it and they may wish it wasn't so, but Tingle is now as much a part of Hyrule's lore as any of the other big characters.

From his humble beginnings as a floating mapmaker in Majora's Mask, to his breakout role in Wind Waker as one of Link's key allies, Tingle has been a major player in the Legend of Zelda universe. Now, after years as a supporting character, he gets a chance to star in his own game.

Rupee Land is the story of how Tingle became who he is today. In the beginning, Tingle was just a boring old guy with no life and a weird obsession with fairies. But one day he heard a strange voice from the local pond, when he went to investigate, he found a strange old character named Old Man Rupee. Old Man Rupee told Tingle that if he got enough money and threw it into the lake, he would open up a path to a magical place called Rupee Land. Tingle agreed and was magically transformed from a normal person into a weird floating fairy creature.

(Special Public Service Announcement: If a crazy old man down by the river offers to take you to a magical place in return for some cash, it's probably not a good idea to listen to him.)

Makin' money is the name of the game in Rupee Land. Not only does Tingle need a ton of cash to throw in to the river to satisfy Old Man Rupee's strange cravings, Rupees also serve as a sort of life meter for the T-Man. If the Rupee counter reaches zero and Tingle runs out of dough, he dies and the game is over. This is a fantastic real life lesson for the youth of today. Forget love and happiness, the only thing that really matters is gettin' paid or your life is over!

Just hoarding money isn't going to be enough for Tingle. He has to make his money work for him by investing, buying and selling merchandise, and other get-rich-quick schemes of questionable legality. This game is just like an economics lesson, a kind of School House Rock for the 21st century. Tingle's adventures teach us that it isn't ancient magic or the courageous perseverance of a hero doing the right thing that saves the day, it's really the invisible hand of free market capitalism. Ayn Rand would be so proud.

Rupee Land was released in Japan last September. However, there are rumors that there will be an English language European release later this year. Thanks to the lack of region lockout in the DS, this means that soon, with a quick trip down to your favorite local import store, you will be able to play with Tingle whenever and wherever you want.