INTRO

Super Mario Advance was one of the must-have launch titles for the Gameboy Advance released in the UK on the 22nd June. The collection consists of Super Mario 2, first released on the NES format and then adapted to the SNES collection 'Super Mario All-Stars'. The second title in Super Mario Advance is the original Mario Bros. game where you battle through increasing difficulty of phases to achieve a high-score.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of Super Mario 2 retains the charm of the original release. What sets this game apart from the other Mario games is that you do not jump on the enemy's heads to simply kill them. You can pick 'em up or throw an variety of vegetables on them. There's no time limit in the game that is normally associated with the Mario games so you can take as long as you like on a level. Each of the 4 characters available to choose from has varying attributes to differentiate themselves from one another.

GRAPHICS
Improved from the NES original and on par with the SNES adaptation. There are some changes that doesn't exist in either the NES or SNES versions. For example, the graphics when you enter a pipe is all-new. It all looks very nice which complements the game very well.

MUSIC/VOICES
The voices are questionable and borders on irritation after long periods of hearing them cheer/moan depending on your actions. But on the whole, the voices add an extra layer of atmosphere into the game that your characters are not simply mute creatures.

DIFFICULTY
Nintendo has actually made this game much easier than it should be. Hearts are really easy to achieve making it that bit harder to die from contact with the enemy. Perhaps the reason for the decrease in difficulty is to cater for the younger audience who would be new to the games in this package.

OVERALL
Super Mario 2 has often been regarded the 'least best' out of all the Mario games. But it is still fun regardless. There's a pretty decent challenge once you've beaten Super Mario 2 which adds a little bit of length to an otherwise short game.

IS THE GAME WORTH MY MONEY???
Whether you want to buy the game or not depends on your own opinion of Super Mario 2. If you did not enjoy the original release, then it's safe to say that you wouldn't want to buy this package.

Even for those who enjoyed and own the original, it may be fair to say that it is not worth parting with £29.99 for a game you've played to death, even with the extra game thrown in.

So the people who are going to get the most out of the package are probably those who never played Mario games before (or at least Super Mario 2 before). Nostalgic players who do not own the original Super Mario 2 would benefit with this package in their games collection.