Scoring Note: I have scored this game on the basis of four points per field, one for each playable character in the game. It also makes it easier to clearly score them.

Characters: 4

An automatic perfect score here for having four different playable characters that have different abilities. This is the only adventure game in which you can play as Princess or Toad, and the personal traits is a characteristic that was not soon matched. Well done! There are also a lot of new enemies in the game. This is because the game was not made by the Mario team; Mario and friends were substituted at the very end in place of Indian characters, I believe. The baddies in this game weren't supposed to appear again, but of course we know some did. Say hello to Bob-omb, Shy Guy, Pokey, and a few others.

Terrain: 2

I can not give a good score for this category. Although there are a variety of environments, the mode of play is the same in each one, only the background and the kind of vegetables change. Mario can not even swim in this game, so the only thing that makes each level harder than the rest is the layout and the number and types of baddies. The game even had two deserts as two of the seven worlds. Nice job with allowing skidding on the ice though.

Items: 3

This game had some interesting items. There's the Koopa Shell and the all-powerful POW, and don't forget the reappearance of the Starman, and the cherries you need to collect in order to earn one. Keys are a nice touch. And of course, Mushrooms are back. But I had to take away the last point because there is no special power that Mario can get in this game.

Size: 3

This game is of a pretty good length. There are 20 levels, and a bunch of them are pretty long. Each one has challenges so this game could take a while to beat, at least on the first try. It's really short after you master it though.

Music: 2

Not that great. I'm personally a fan of Mario music, but not too many midis from this game stick out. Of course, there aren't very many midis. Let's see... outside, cave, Starman, boss, Wart, and the ending, that's it. I used to really like Wart's theme, but then it got annoying.

Graphics: 4

Of course, the graphics pale in relationship to today's. But when this game was current, the graphics were terrific. The graphics in this game are really a step up from those in Mario 1... Mario really takes shape in this game.

Difficulty: 3

This game is easier than some of Mario's other adventure games, perhaps because he can clear his path some by defeating enemies with other enemies. He can also take up to four hits in this game, a step up from the last. But, being the bad gamer that I am, I still couldn't beat this game without Game Genie. Sigh...

Replayability: 1

I gotta really nail the game somewhere. Most of Mario's games have a good replay factor, because there is still stuff to find and scores to break. In this game, however, there aren't too many secrets (or if there are, they're hidden really well and I haven't found any), and there's no two-player mode either. Once it's beaten, this game could be on the way to the back of the drawer.

And finally...

Fun Factor!: 2

Is it me, or does my Fun Factor! rating tend to not match the other ratings? This game got pretty decent ratings in most areas, yet I am forced to give it only a so-so in the category that I think really counts most, how fun it is to play. Why isn't it as fun as some other games? I dunno. Based on my ratings, it should be more fun than Mario 1, yet I disagree. I suppose it's missing that crucial element, Miyamoto's touch. If you don't already, you should worship that man.

Recommendation:

This game isn't good enough for me to recommend your trying to hunt around for an old game, though you might be able to find it at a place like Funco Land for a buck. If you have it in working condition, you might be interested in taking a peak at it. But, I hear there is an updated version of this game coming out for the Gameboy Advance when that system comes out. I dunno... I'm intrigued, but not that interested. You could buy it if you are getting the system anyway and the price is right. But spend 30 bucks or more for it? Maybe not.

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