Overshadowed by the Genesis title- Sonic the Hedgehog- the first Snes installment of the Mario series was a greatly unappreciated game at the time of its release in Europe and the US. Its similarities to Mario Bros. 3 are obvious in both presentational and game-play respects, but it is nonetheless an outstanding example of a classically addictive platform romp, if somewhat lacking in originality. There is comfortably upward of a hundred hours of running, jumping, and 'Yoshi-ing' to be enjoyed here, and as the premier title in the first wave of software for the format, it loses none of its sparkle some 10 years after its Japanese debut.