You are Link, who has taken on the quest of saving Princess Zelda and the Triforce from the forces of Ganon. To find Ganon, you must first locate all eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, which are hidden in the Underworld labyrinths.

At the start of the game, enter the cave to your left. The old man there will give you the Sword - you won't be getting far without this. Once you have this, leave the cave and head either north or east. Here you'll find your first monsters - the Octorocks. They'll be easy to take out with the sword while your shield should deflect their rocks. One of the most important things to remember in the game is to try and defeat all the monsters you find, because they'll leave treasures like rupees, hearts and fairies. Your sword is your main weapon, and remember this - if your hearts are full, you can shoot beams from it to attack foes from a distance.

Just slightly to the north and east of the starting point, you'll see a small lake. If you'll head two screens north of the lake, you'll find a fairy that will restore all your hearts if needed. Watch out for the Peahats on the lake's northwest end - they can only be hit when they're not moving. Also, beware of Zola, the monster in the lake. Your current shield can't block her fireballs, and she can't be defeated by your current sword (You can hit her once, but she seems to heal once she goes back underwater).

You can head for the first level at any time, but you should get one or two items before heading there. The first thing you should get is bombs. You can get them from certain enemies like the blue Octorocks, but you can also buy them at shops for 20 rupees. The shop just to the south and east of the fairy spring will have them (The monsters you'll find in front of the shop are called Tektites - the blue ones move slower than their red counterparts and can leave a lot of money). You can get four bombs at a time, and the most you can carry for now is eight.

Bombs will open up a number of possibilities for you. For example, head east and south of the lake until you find the seashore - you'll hear the ocean waves. (On the way there, you'll encounter the Moblins and Leevers, monsters that are a little stronger than the first ones.) Bomb the rock wall two steps to the left of the north passage, and you'll open a cave where an old man will give you a Heart Container. (He'll also offer you medicine, but take the Heart Container - you can get medicine later at any time.) Now head back to where you started the game and go one space north. Bomb the north wall in the very center. In that cave you'll find a Moblin who won't attack you but give you money. There are many of these around the land that will give you different amounts - this one will give you thirty rupees. If you have sixty, go west to find another shop and buy the Blue Candle. The candles can open many more caves and passages by burning trees.

These are about all the items we'll need for now, so its time to head for the first labyrinth. To the north of the forest is a huge lake, and on the east side of it is a bridge that you will cross onto an island with the entrance to Level One. If you're trying to get there from the starting point, it's east, four screens north, then west.