On the bright side, the levels are bigger and prettier. And as mentioned above, neat things like hang-gliding add some variety. (I particularly like riding the bubbles in Aqua Lake, which was carried over into Triple Trouble/Sonic & Tails 2.) The boss Acts, unfortunately, are nothing more than excercises in frustration. Like the original, you won't find any Rings in the third Acts. Unfortunately, you will find lots of badly-placed obstacles which rely on trial & error to become foreseeable. And if you actually have the patience to make it to the bosses, they'll send you to bed early guaranteed. It's really too bad, because they sport much more variety than your standard selection of Sonic no-goodniks. The whole issue would've been easily addressed by giving the player a couple of Rings to work with, but no such luck.

   Like the original, Chaos Emeralds are not obtained in Special Stages but can be found hidden throughout the levels. And when I say "hidden", I'm not fooling around. Unlike the first time, where they were pretty easy to spot and getting to them was the tricky part, just finding them is a feat in itself on this trip. Pack along some Advil, this one's gonna give you a headache.

   Prepare to have your endurance tested in the following new Zones:

• Under Ground -- You're like, in this volcano and there's some minecarts and falling stalactites and stuff.
• Sky High -- It's kind of like Hill Top, except in Act 2 which takes place in a thunderstorm. You'll also find the hang gliders in this Zone.
• Aqua Lake -- The contingent underwater level (although if you're going fast enough, you can skip along the surface of the water). You'll find the giant bubbles to ride in here.
• Green Hills -- It's like Green Hill, except it's all hills. There's no pretty ocean around here, but the trees are checkered and the flowers are shaped like hearts and diamonds and together it all looks like a rejected scene from Alice in Wonderland. It's clear and open, with lots of loops.
• Gimmick Mountain -- This one's kinda cool...it's like a giant factory built on the inside of a mountain. There's lots of conveyor belts and moving platforms and all that good stuff.
• Scrambled Egg -- It's some dark, stony terrain at nighttime. The gimmick is pipes all over the stinking place. It's a big maze of pipes...Act 1's kind of fun, but Act 2 is so full of cheap hits it's absolutely unforgivable. Anyway, you fight Silver Sonic at the end and, if you've collected the other five Emeralds, he relinquishes the sixth to you.
• Crystal Egg -- You only get to play this secret final Zone if you've obtained all six Chaos Emeralds. It's worth it, though, definitely not your typical "final" stage: you're in a giant, pastel fortess made of glass (or something). Illusion is the key word, with lots of holographic walls, breakable platforms, and similar coolness. It's really slick.

   The Bonus Panels return, with the following signs having the indicated effects:

• Robotnik -- Nothing happens
• Ring -- You get 10 Rings
• Sonic -- You get an extra chance
• Tails -- You get a continue

   And finally, the usual selection of monitor items works its way in, noticably lacking the standard Shield:

• Super Ring -- Worth 10 Rings
• Power Sneakers -- Temporarily raises your speed
• Invincibility -- Makes you invincible for a short time
• 1-Up -- You get an extra chance

Level-Select: (Master System version) With the system off, hold the D-Pad up and left while pressing buttons 1 and 2 on controller 2. Continue to hold and power the system on. Continue to hold until the title screen appears, then press 2 twice on controller one.

• Sonic 2 was the first ever 4-Meg Game Gear cartridge.
• The BGM in Green Hills is based on (or vice-versa) "Sonic: You Can Do Anything." What came first, the chicken or the egg?