Super Mario Bros. 2 review - Nintendo Entertainment System

Super Mario Bros II simply oozes playability. The difficulty level is perfectly set so that you always seem to get a little bit further each time you play - or discover yet another secret room or warp! Consequently the game is incredibly addictive. The only criticism I've got is that there's no score - it would be nice to be able to go for a highscore record as well as beating the game itself. Other than that though, Super Mario II is one of the most enjoyable Nintendo games around. Roll on Super Mario III.

Super Mario Brothers can't have been an easy act to follow, so Nintendo really had their work cut out producing a follow-up. But they've done it, and SMB2 is even better! Cute and highly detailed characters and colourful backgrounds really make it look cartoony and fun, and the music and sound effects match the graphics for jolliness. But the gameplay's what's most important, and even in this respect, SMB2 tops the original! All the new characters and the new abilities add a further dimension to the original platform fun. At nearly £40 it's one of the most expensive Nintendo carts, but any fan of the original will certainly get his money's worth!

Super Mario Bros 2 is really the black sheep of the Mario family. Originally starting out life as Doki Doki Panic this game does not feel like any other Mario game. This does not however mean it is any less of a game, far from it, Nintendo stamps their seal of quality on this game and it oozes with quality. There is nothing more satisfying than picking a veggie up from the ground and using it to smash a baddie!

In this game jumping on an enemy gives you a lift rather than pounding them. You can pick up most enemies and throw them at others which a fun game mechanic. In addition to controlling Mario (the all-rounder) you can also play as Princess Peach who can hover a bit whilst jumping, Toad who is fast and strong and Luigi who can jump the highest. Choosing the best character for the job is often the key to success.

The graphics and music are still excellent. Boppy cheerful tunes and colourful levels make this game a joy to play. There are lots of secrets to keep the game interesting. Warps can often be found when dropping a potion in a certain place to go to an 'alternate' dark world where secrets are shown.

The boss fights are quite good fun. Birdo makes her first appearance in this game firing eggs at you, jump on them and pick them up in mid air then smash them on her head 3 times to ensure victory. The levels have lots of variety as you might expect, there is a desert world, an ice world, etc. It's certainly never dull.

This game is recommended to all. There will always be a crowd who say this is not as good as the other Mario games but that is a short-sighted view to have. Nintendo pulled out all the stops in creating an original, quirky sequel to the original Mario classic. Adding all the elements together this is really an excellent game not to be missed.