The standard Sonic moves are here: run, jump, Spin Dash. You don't get much chance to utilize them, however, which is just as well anyway because he controls like a brick scraping against concrete. Luckily, that's completely unimportant in Spinball. The real action takes place when Sonic plays the role of the pinball in his classic Sonic Spin pose. From there it's bumper-bumpin', flipper-flippin', Ring-grabbin', Badnik-boppin' goodness all the way!

   The object is to locate and collect all the Chaos Emeralds within any given stage. In order to reach one of the shiny gems, you must first open the path to it. This is usually done by hitting special targets, destroying certain Badniks, or something to that effect. Once your goal is accomplished, some unique effect will happen (such as toxic sludge being drained from a pit, a new gate being opened, the track on a minecart being switched, etc.) and the Emerald will be up for the taking. The number of Emeralds varies from level to level, but there are definitely more than seven in total (and they're all the same darn color, too).

   After collecting all the Chaos Emeralds in a stage, the path to the boss will open up. Bounce, flip, and spin your way up and defeat the Badnik to advance to the next stage. Or, if you're playing the 8-bit version, the Bonus Cage. In the Bonus Cage, the object is to spin around three giant, connected birdcages (complete with harmless Badnik bird in the center), collecting Rings, One-ups, Continues, and all that good stuff. In order to advance to the next cage in each triple set, you must first nab half the Rings in the cage you're in. Once you've done that, the door to the next cage in the group will open up. The catch is that you must make it out of the third cage within the time limit, or you get to keep zilch of your loot. You can gain extra time by popping open the clock monitors.

   Special Stages are present in the Genesis version as well, although they follow a different schema. Collect ALL the Rings (every single one, you insolent knave!) on the board, then locate a familiar-looking Star Circle somewhere around the level. Hop into it and it's off to the Special Stage! The Special Stages are set up like real pinball machines, with Sonic at the controls. The challenge is different on every stage, but the object is always to complete it within a certain number of balls.

   Another extra unique to the 8-bit version is the "Match Screen". It's like a little slot-machine you get to play when you get a game over. Four digits spin up on the screen, and if they match the final four digits of your score, you get a free ball. Hey, at least there's a chance...

   The stages include:

• Toxic Caves -- (Toxic Pools in the 8-bit version) It's a stinky sewer o' toxic sludge. Don't hang around on the lowest platform or Rexxon will rear its ugly head and turn you into a snack. Home to Cluck, Forebot, and Rexxon.
• Lava Powerhouse -- It's the lava power source, which means...it's hot. Hip and Hop, a couple of kangaroos, send you flying back into the game everytime you fall off into the side. Home to Ferron, Forebot, and Cluck.
• The Machine -- This is the part where all the helpless animals are being turned into robots. It's like a giant machine, hence the name...ya know? Home to Monkey and Vulture.
• The Showdown -- (The Final Showdown in the 8-bit version) The volcano is erupting, the Veg-O Fortress is crumbling, and Robotnik's escaping all at the same time. Uh-oh. Home to Wasp and Vulture.

-- Genesis Version --

Secret Effects: (Game Gear version) Play the following tracks in the presented order at the Sound Test screen for the indicated results. The screen should shake if you've input a code correctly.

• Secret Codes: 0, 8, 3, 1, 7, 1
• Sonic-Zilla: 0, 2, 1, 1, 6, 6
• Anti-Gravity Sonic: 0, 9, 0, 1, 6, 8
• Skip to the Boss: 0, 2, 1, 5, 6, 6
• Radio on Rocket Fuel: 0, 4, 2, 5, 5, 7

• The furries you free in the first Special Stage (16-bit version) include Tails, as well as the supporting cast of the Archie comic book: Princess Sally, Boomer/Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine.