Probably my favorite moment in that regard was the aforementioned Fire Dancer miniboss - although I wouldn't have told you so if you'd asked me in the middle of the battle. I started the fight following the advice of one of the Gorons I'd rescued and using the "Gorons' special crop"; me being me, however, I was interpreting his advice the wrong way and quickly wasted all of my bombs by hurling them at the Dancer while it was protected by its fiery "outfit." At this point, I panicked and frantically tried hitting it with every weapon in my arsenal: sword, arrows, I even swear I used the Hookshot a few times to no avail. It was while taking an intentional beating and waiting for my fairies to run out that I made one last, desperate attack with the Hookshot; lo and behold, that was the trick! It was definitely one of those moments of frustration that felt sooo satisfying after I'd worked my way out of what I thought was an unwinnable situation.

I'm also going to agree with beigeturner and say that, while I did have moments of frustration getting around (particularly in the many minutes before I realized I'd need the Scarecrow to reach the uppermost floors on the right), I was hugely impressed by the verticality of this dungeon. There were a few times where I even used the "shortcut" of taking a death plunge down two floors into the room with the bridge - sure, it took a heart away, but it saved time and looked incredible in 3D!

Also, to echo TylorWayne, while the hammer wasn't quite as integral to the dungeon's puzzles as some of the earlier items had been to their respective dungeons (actually a good thing...Ocarina for the most part seems to avoid the "one-trick dungeon" trap of a lot of more recent Zeldas), it still felt like a game-changer when I received it because of the sheer magnitude of its effect on the environment. Pounding down huge pillars and making stairs where they hadn't been before made me feel powerful in the best way.

Finally, as always I appreciate MoriartyL's unpacking of the game's surprisingly consistent coming-of-age theme. It was interesting to see the profound growth of even one of the supporting characters over seven years; Darunia's courage at the beginning of the dungeon, and later his humble pleasure over becoming a Sage, was genuinely heartwarming. Still so impressed by how this game's narrative does so much with so little.

Along those lines, here's something I forgot to mention in my Forest Temple commentary: I'm really enamored by the way the game communicates Link's exhaustion when he reaches his final heart (though I could frankly do without the traditional shrill beeping noise). In both the Phantom Ganondorf and Volvagia battles, I beat the boss when I myself was on the verge of defeat; seeing the boss fall, followed by Link sagging and breathing heavily, is a really dramatic moment expressed entirely through the game's mechanics. One of those little moments that makes me think, yes, there really is a lot of potential for telling interactive stories that differ from the way we experience more traditional narratives.

After knowing exactly where I was and where I was going in the Forest Temple I didn't feel nearly as well orientated in the Fire Temple.  It took me longer to find the map, and I didn't pick up the compass.  I found the chest I think but it had another one of those timed switches and I couldn't work out how to get to the chest quickly enough.

This is not a criticism. The Fire Temple's another well put together dungeon, with (as others have pointed out) great use of vertical space.

It's a shame about the music.  That would have given the place a very different feel.  I didn't get a feeling of reverence, but I am very taken with the idea of Gorons as family.  I appreciate that they still love and recognise me when the Kokiri didn't (although perhaps not so much when they are scared and huddled in their cells).  It made rescuing them more meaningful.

I might be reading too much into this, but finding keys in cells felt like a deliberate joke to me, very much in contrast to the weighty hammer and lives at stake.  Among all this growing up and serious world-saving business I can still hang on to some light-hearted things.  That's important.

Although the dungeon itself was a bit tougher, the boss was actually very easy... surprisingly so.

Overall, I preferred  the Forest Temple (which at the moment is my favorite section of the game... so far). Even the item you get here, the hammer, is not that interesting...