i thoroughly enjoy the original 1986 Zelda for NES. It may be before most of the people on this sites time but it started the gaming revolution. how many 8 bit games are that in depth and actually have a storyline. all the latest and greatest Zelda games out now started here. Just my opinion though.
Kalkara, you said you've never played the original Zelda. Well, you can download an emulator called "Nesticle" that will play "roms" which are digital duplicates of the old NES games. Just google "nes emulators" and find one. just make sure you read the disclaimers though.
my favorite zelda is phantom hourglass because i havent played any of the non portable versions. plus Phantom Hourglass has a very unique a fluid control system that is very enjoyable.