Now what could be said about this spiky little rodent that no one else could have mentioned before? His personality and looks certainly are unique. His abilities make other game heroes look feeble. But most of all he is cute without being cuddly! After years of seeing cute games make such a fuss, it's good to see new cute characters that aren’t stupid. And Sonic definitely isn't stupid.

For those who live under a rock, Sonic's adventures began when he discovered the hidden laboratory belonging to Ivan Kintobor. A peaceful scientist who was working on a machine that could store evil and trap it using the extremely rare Chaos Emeralds. The machine runs on energy rings which the doc has found. To make a long story a non-boring quickie; Sonic went in, distracted the doc and somehow a miscalculation was made! Boom goes the machine and Dr Kintobor. Because of the immense concentration of evil, a transformation occurred. Instead of the doc waking up - a nut case professor, Dr Robotnik, walked from the rubble! He then made a machine of his own. One that trapped animals in a machines body! So Sonic, who was the only one fast enough to escape due to his special speed, has now devoted his life to saving his friends.

Sonic has to go through six zones in order to recover the Chaos Emeralds. Each zone is divided into three parts with the third part being the duel with Robotnik. Throughout each zone Sonic must dodge 'n weave through mazes, caves, rollercoaster type lands and worst of all avoid his now evil mates! Sonic's playing method is so easy to use for everyone, one button does all and that is jumping! Sonic must collect rings in order to stay alive. If our spiky friend cops a hit then he loses his rings. But if he's hit without any rings in the kit, then it's curtains for him! Once you complete a round you'll whiz past a sign which shows you your bonus. If you happen to have between 50-99 rings then you'll be placed into a bonus round which has the blue rodent bounding aimlessly through a pin ball type room! Power ups can be found in terminals carelessly left on by Robotnik which give you invincibility, speed ups, extra Sonics, rings and continues. (You'll need them trust me!)

This version varies slightly to the Master System but manages to maintain the feel of the game and adds a new perspective to the title. The speed of the game really pushes the Game Gear to the max and to be honest it handles it better then the Sega Master System. Even though the SMS version was good, the GG does stand superior due to the outstanding Sky Base Zone which is not in the Mega Drive version of the game. In fact, the game would be hot if it were a Mega Drive title! There are some extremely clever platform sequences including a scale set which boast Sonic up to higher ground. I don't think much has to be said to convince people into purchasing Sega's most enduring product since Wonder Boy. Ask yourself if you want the best game available for the GG and if the answer is yes (as if it'll be no!), then Sonic needs a looking. An absolute must for owners of the snazzy hand held!

Brian Costelloe

As published in Megazone Magazine Apr/ May '92