The Spin Dash is back, the Peel Out is gone; but there's another new move in Sonic's arsenal: the Insta-Shield. For a split second, it protects Sonic from taking damage as well as increasing his attack radius. Tails is also playable, and can now be commanded to fly at will, giving him access to several areas which Sonic cannot reach. (This ability transfers to swimming when underwater.) When playing Sonic and Tails together, Tails can give Sonic a lift, although he can't fly quite as far with his hedgehogness in tow. (And trying to swim with Sonic obviously doesn't work...)

   This time, instead of spinning the Bonus Panel at the end of each Act, it falls from the top of the screen. Bounce it around for points, and if it lands at the right spot, an item will pop up. Uh...but don't think getting to the Bonus Panel will be as easy as it used to. New to the Sonic mix are sub-bosses: Robotnik's toughest Badniks. Like bosses, they take eight spins a piece.

   If you've got 50 Rings when you whack a Starpost, that lovely Star Circle will spin around above it. Jump in and you're flashed away to the bonus stage, a giant gumball machine that doesn't need quarters! No bubble gum anywhere, but plenty of goodies for the taking so long as you've still got springs to bounce off:

• Barrier Shield -- Balls with a "B" on them. Blue signifies a Water Shield, red denotes a Flame Shield, and tan scores you a Lightning Shield.
• Spring Barrier -- Balls with the phrase "REP" on them. It replaces the springs at the bottom of the pit.
• Super Ring -- Worth ten Rings
• 1Up -- You get an extra chance
• Bumper Gumball -- They bounce you back, then pop
• Clear Gumball -- Nothing happens

   The giant Rings return as the Special Stage gates, only this time you can find 'em hidden all over each level, and you don't need 50 Rings to get in. They're still 3D, but gone are the half-pipes...now you're running over checkered mini-planets, with the object being to tag all the Blue Spheres. Once you've tagged a bluey, it turns red...touch a Red Sphere, and you've blown it, buddy. White spheres with stars on 'em serve as bumpers. If you circle in a group of Blue Spheres with Red Spheres (usually done by running around the edges of a square of blueys), they'll all turn into Rings. Collect all the Rings in a stage to score a Perfect and gain a continue. Once you've cleared all the blue spheres, you're rewarded with one of those pretty rocks, the Chaos Emeralds. Be careful as you advance, though...the longer you spend in a stage, the faster Sonic runs...

   The new levels consist of:

• Angel Island -- Starts off nice and pretty in a lush rainforest...until Robotnik nukes the whole thing halfway through Act 1. From that point on, the level is a giant tropical inferno, home to: RhinoBot, Monkey Dude, Bloominator, and Catakiller Jr.
• Hydrocity -- You're in a massive underground (and mostly underwater) arena or something. Home to Turbo Spiker, Bugernaut, Jawz, Blastoid, Mega Chopper, and Pointdexter.
• Marble Garden -- There's all kinda steep slopes and cool gadgets scattered around these mountainous ruins. Tunnelbot pops up here and there to get the Earth a-quakin'. Home to Mantis, Spiker, and Bubbles.
• Carnival Night -- It's like Casino Night, except it's a massive, colorful carnival rather than a casino (hence the name). There's not much pinball action going on, either, but it's darn freaking MASSIVE. The clock is your biggest enemy. Home to Batbot, Clamer, and Blastoid.
• IceCap -- The first frosty Zone in Sonic history (if you don't count Ice Cave from Arcade). Act 1 sees Sonic blasting in on a snowboard, and is mostly in icy caverns. Act 2 is mostly out on the slopes, but a good portion is still below the surface. Home to Penguinator and Star Pointer.
• Launch Base -- The station for the Death Egg's reparation. It's halfway underwater as well. Home to Orbinaut, Corkey, Snale Blaster, and Ribot.

• Super Ring -- Worth 10 Rings
• Invincibility -- Makes you invincible for a short time
• Power Shoes -- Temporarily raises your speed
• Flame Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; absorbs all fire damage; enables the Fireball Spin Dash (only as Sonic); dissipates in water
• Water Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; allows breathing underwater; enables the bubble bounce attack (only as Sonic)
• Lightning Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; attracts Rings like a magnet; enables the double jump (only as Sonic); dissipates in water
• 1-Up -- Gives you an extra chance
• Robotnik -- You take a hit!

   The two-player versus mode returns, this time sporting its own original Zones to dash through. Unfortunately, they're incredibly short...just little courses with some obstacles and stuff, but at least they aren't distorted like the Sonic 2 set. Three laps across each decides the winner. Players can choose between Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles, but the difference between racers is minimal. (Sonic is fastest, Tails can fly, Knuckles can stop on a dime.) The five versus Zones are: Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Chrome Gadget, Desert Palace, and Endless Mine. Set items on, and you'll run across the following goodies & baddies circling in the air:

• Ring -- You get a Ring
• Banana Peel -- Drop it on the course to slip up your opponent
• Power Shoes -- Temporarily raises your speed
• Gray Shoes -- Temporarily reduces your speed
• Badnik -- Sends a speedy Badnik dashing across the ground

   Unfortunately, it never hit the nerve that Sonic 2 did, and the hedgehog hype only began rolling downhill from here.

Construction Mode: Input the level-select code. Hold down A when selecting your Zone. Controls are as follows:

Auto Super Sonic: Input the level-select code. At the new Sound Test, play the following tracks: 1, 3, 4, 2, 4, 5, 6. You should hear a Ring chime. Select your Zone. Grab atleast 50 Rings, jump into the air, and press A, B, or C.

Secret Special Stage: Input the level-select code. At the new Sound Test, play the following tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7. You should hear a Ring chime. Highlight Special Stage 2 and hold A while pressing Start.

• The English instruction manual was written by Jason Rich, who had previously written the unauthorized Sonic 1 and 2 strategy guides.