Year released: 1985 (NES)

Number of Players: 1-2 (taking turns)

Mario and Luigi, brothers, set out to save Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser and his tribe of black magic koopas.

Graphics: They get the point across. Nothing really stands out, though, save for the Bowsers at the end of each world. Everything is tame and friendly, and there is little to no variation to Mario's green world.

Play control: Mario and Luigi walk from side to side with the + Control Pad and jump with the A button. To walk and jump faster, hold down the B button. The jumping in Super Mario Bros. is a bit realistic as opposed to more recent sidescrollers in that once you go forward into a jump, you can't change your direction very well. Everything else should come naturally.

Sound: You'll be hearing the same three themes over and over throughout the game with what seems to be some new beeps and boops (when compared with other games of its time). If you can appreciate sound even though it has low instrument quality, Super Mario Bros. will appeal to you.

Challenge: Not too bad. It is an uphill battle at first, but after the first three or so sessions, you can zip through most of the game. Some of the stages get horribly sinister, but if you get just the right timing down (took me one or two lives depending on the stage), Mario will zip through those stages, too. Warp Zones are a big help. They are secret areas where you can access different worlds via pipes (which are labelled with the world number they lead to).

Gameplay: Jump on everything and anything, save for a few thorned enemies. Most of the thrill (for lack of better word) is derived from gaining just the right timing to manuever yourself around whatever obstacle lie ahead (whether it be hammer brothers, lava pits, or those big gaping holes that seem to fill the bottom of the stage so often). There are three levels for Mario and Luigi to exist in: normal (one block tall, one hit and they're dead), super (two blocks tall, one hit and they become normal), and fire (same as super but can take out certain enemies by throwing fireballs that bounce along the ground). Being in fire mode can really put a damper on the game's challenge, but the level design still shines through, and besides, this game gets so sinister sometimes that you won't be able to hold onto your fire throwing power for very long. The boss stages have the Mario brothers go through a cramped fortress filled with lava and fire to meet a fake Bowser (the real one is in the last world). Unless you have fire throwing power (in which case you can hit the Bowser thrice to kill it), Mario is forced to scuttle above or underneath the Bowser and grab an axe from behind the giant beast. Just another challenge requiring timing.

Bottom line: The game would seem to be poorly made by the fact that Mario is so defenseless. The game's nearly impossible challenges become hilariously possible... and even the bosses are shallow. But the early stages are easy and filled with some fun level designing dotted with enemies, and the later stages, though the challenges may be shallow, are still very real. Super Mario Bros. is not a masterpiece, but for someone like me who can't stand the short arcade-style games, it's as close as you'll get to a masterpiece in the year 1985. Not to mention that, at the time of review, Game Stop's price for a Super Mario Bros. cartridge for NES is $.29 (if memory serves).

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