The Super Mario Bros. games may very well be the best-loved and best-known in video game history, all things considered. When Nintendo came out with Super Mario Bros. in 1985, the video game industry as we know it was changed for good (and for the better). I can't imagine any serious video gamer who has NOT played ANY classic Mario title, nor can I imagine one who has hated every game in the series. Perhaps the Mario games may not be a given gamer's favorite, but he or she still likes and respects some of them. A gamer who has never played, or who has hated, all Mario games, would be like a fan of pop-rock music not knowing or admiring any Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson tunes: sure, he or she may prefer some other artist (or game), but to either ignore or hate everything Elvis or Michael did? No way.

What has made the Super Mario Bros. games great throughout the years is that anyone of any age can pick them up, figure them out, and try to beat them. There is enough variety to keep even adults interested. To Nintendo's credit, they have never tried to either reinvent the wheel too much or release the same basic game over and over again. They definitely know balance when it comes to most Mario titles.

So what about New Super Mario Bros. (2006) for the DS? How does it hold up compared to great Mario titles of the past?

Before addressing those questions more directly, a little brief history of mine for contextual purposes: admittedly, I held out on any DS Mario games for a few years, hoping the $35 price tags on them would drop (they haven't yet, but perhaps sometime in the next year or two as the 3DS and other more modern consoles and handhelds gain market availability). Nonetheless, my beloved finally broke down and got me one a couple of months ago even at the $35 tag simply because he knew how much I liked the series. Based on the font and the example pictures alone, one can tell Nintendo wanted to appeal to the old school gamer: it essentially screams, "If you liked the original Mario games, you'll probably like this one."

There is some truth to that assumption, but despite the original Super Mario Bros. 1 font on the packaging, I learned through playing it that New Super Mario Bros. actually plays the most like Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World, particularly the latter.

With that in mind, I'd say it holds up pretty well, for Mario 3 and World were two of the best games in the series.

All that said, upon starting the game, you'll notice there is more than one option - Nintendo was not content to just release another Mario game with no side goodies. Besides the main single-player game itself, there is also a Mario vs. Luigi option (two player, wireless, where your object is to collect stars before your opponent does) and a Minigames option (a total of 18 hit-and-miss minigames for 1-4 players divided into four game types: Action, Puzzle, Table, and Variety). The general Options screen lets you adjust sound (surround, headphones, or stereo) and controls for dashing and jumping (two options: dash with the Y and B button and jump with X or A button, or dash with Y and X button and jump with B or A button).

The regular Mario game is the first choice, and the one most folks probably want to start with, so here is how that one is designed and how it plays:

Upon starting a new Mario game, you have three file-saving slots from which to pick. A new game introduces a 3D cut scene where - you guessed it - Bowser (actually, in this case, Bowser Jr.) has kidnapped the princess and run off with her (I guess one could complain that the Mario game designers have overused the "damsel in distress" trope, but oh well - it is what it is).

After that pathetic scene, Mario starts on the world map, which is displayed on the top DS screen. The bottom DS screen shows a broader map of the current world, how many worlds have been unlocked (at the start of this game, just one: World 1), and how many lives you have (five to start). You can move around the world map on the top screen with the d-pad and click round red circles with the A button to choose a level (1-1 to start); black circles indicate levels you cannot yet initiate while blue circles indicate levels you have already completed.

As for the "action" portion of the game, again the top screen is where the main stuff can be found: you move Mario around through a level with the various d-pad and button controls (your coin total is displayed here on the top left and the timer on the top right) whereas the bottom screen is much more statistical, showing level progress in an abstract linear format (Mario's head on a line indicates how far along you are on the level), your number of lives, current score, any special items you hold in reserve (up to one extra - you may press your finger here to get, say, an extra mushroom or flower you picked up on a level to turn bigger or get fireball suit status - this makes the game a bit easier than its predecessors), and number of special "star coins" (you can accumulate up to three of these on a typical level, usually in hard-to-reach places; collecting five total lets you visit toad houses on the world map where you can get special items, and it also gives you the option to save your game).

Controls are smooth - no lag in the jumps, for instance (one drawback to the first game in the series, but not in most of the other titles). I mentioned some of the basic functions, including the adjustability of the dash and jump functions. Other functions include hitting the L or R shoulder buttons to see further on the top screen either left or right. Those familiar with classic Mario titles will notice how similarly the controls work in this title: Mario can dash, jump on enemies, hit them with fireballs if in a fireball suit, and so forth. I really have no complaints about the controls in the regular Mario game.

There are several new features to keep things interesting even for us old fans. Mushrooms and fireball suits may be old news, but some new additions include a special mushroom that turns Mario into a temporarily indestructible giant (you can still fall into very large holes and die, but other than that, this is like a star item that also lets you collect anything you run into in addition to becoming invincible) and a shell item (this one is a little less useful). I sure miss the raccoon tail from Super Mario 3, but that probably would have made this game too easy. Other nifty features include the ability to hit down on the d-pad while in the midst of a jump to break bricks, and fireballs that not only kill enemies as in past games, but also yield a single coin for each kill.

Graphically, this game is a nice blend of 2D and 3D features. Most of the side-scrolling action is relatively 2D, but Mario spins and dances at the end of victorious levels, and he and his enemies walk and run around in more realistic fashion. Colors are bright and vivid, and there is a nice variety of level design with underground levels, water levels, etc.

As far as music and sounds go, fans will recognize familiar melodies, like the underground tune from Super Mario Bros. 1, as well as some new ones that fit the atmosphere of a particular level. Sounds include your usual coin collecting noises, brick smashes, and so forth. They probably could have been a little more creative in the auditory department, but it doesn't disappoint, at any rate.

Regarding difficulty, this game is easier for sure than the old 2D titles. I haven't beaten the final castle yet, but that's mostly due to other activities commanding my time in recent days, not due to the game's overall difficulty level. I had to work much harder to beat Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3 on the original NES, and I didn't beat Super Mario World until I got to the GBA port.

I wish there was an autosave feature. Perhaps my biggest complaint about this game is how you cannot save unless you have five star coins to unlock a toadhouse. This doesn't make the game harder per se, it just makes saving more of a nuisance.

For those who get tired of the regular game, I mentioned the Mario vs. Luigi and Minigames options. If you don't like multiplayer, the Minigames are still a nice single-player diversion, for the most part. I did say they were hit-or- miss, which is true. They also use the stylus more than the d-pad, in contrast to the regular game.

The best minigames are found in the Action category, in my opinion, although two of these are a bit frustrating as well. In the first game, you rub the touch screen to roll a snowman's head to the goal while dodging rocks. Sounds easy in theory, but the timer is not very forgiving, and neither are the controls, which are fussy and make it difficult to increase your speed and especially to move from left to right in controlled fashion. A better example of the Action games is the second one, where you shoot spinies into flying shells using a slingshot. The controls are much more responsive and fluid in this minigame. The third minigame is defense-oriented, requiring you to move a character out of the way of incoming fireballs. The fourth Action minigame is in whack-a-character format, but rather than just whacking one character (Monty), you also must avoid whacking Luigi's head in the process. The final game has you blow into the DS microphone hole to send Yoshi upward. I hate microphone controls, so I'm not a fan of this one.

Of the Puzzle games, the only one I like a lot is the first, which follows a Where's Waldo? format where you must find one character's likeness among others that are unlike. This game keeps going, and the patterns get progressively harder, until time runs out, which can occur on its own or through penalties (you gain time bonuses for correct picks and time subtractions for wrong ones).

The Table games (only three of these whereas every other category has five) are card games that are endless until you decide to quit or else run out of coins. They include matching and poker game formats.

Variety has two minigames that I like. The second game has you guide black Bomb-ombs to a black metallic carpet and red Bomb-ombs to a red metallic carpet. As the game progresses, bombs come out more quickly and in greater numbers. The fourth game has you knock Bomb-ombs out of the sky with a slingshot. Knocking Lakitu out of the sky takes out all of the bombs at once, so you'll want to especially focus on him.

After hours of playing, I decided that New Super Mario Bros. is worth the $35 price tag. Is it as addicting as Super Mario Bros. 1 or 3? No, but it's arguably as good as Super Mario World from the SNES (if quite a bit easier), and it also has some decent Minigame bonuses for lighter playing moods. Four stars.

Recommended: Yes