Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Master System, 548706558)

Recently I purchased a Sega Powerbase converter for my Sega CD/Genesis Model 1. I knew right away what first few games I wanted to get for the system. On the top of my list were Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Sonic 2 for the Sega Master System is completely different from it's Genesis counterpart. The main gameplay itself is a little harder than the Genesis version. Also, unlike the Genesis' Sonic games which had you enter bouns rounds to gather power rings in order to gain the 7 chaos emeralds, the SMS version places the emeralds in the levels for you to find. Though, after you locate all the chaos emeralds, you just unlock a different ending (as well as an extra level), not the ability to turn into Super Sonic.
Another difference is interactive objects. In the first and second stage you get to ride mine carts along tracks that lead to a wall. If you're not careful you'll fall out and land in hot lava on impact. Then there's the hangliders from the fourth and fifth stages (these need a little getting used to to operate).
The last difference I'll talk about is the usage of rings. In this game once you reach 100 the ring count at the top left is set back to 00. You still get the extra life you just are left with 00 rings. When you finish the level with 50 rings or more you enter a bonus stage. In the bonus stage you must reach the sign at the end of the stage before time runs out. Along the way you collect rings and can find a box with a continue on it.
Also depending on how many rings you finish the stage with you might get an extra 10 rings (this involves finishing the stage with a ring count that's divisible by 10). There are other conditions for other bonuses as well, such as ones that gives you an extra life or continue.
Now for game play. The game plays as well as any of the classic Sonic games do. You run through the level and collect rings while bashing the badniks. What can be annoying is that once you take damage you bounce back and lose all your rings, and are unable to reclaim them. This game is fun nevertheless.
The boss battles are great and keeps you on your toes. The Sky High Zone boss involves you jumping from one badnick to another while avoiding another one coming at you. Finally when the boss appears you must defeat him while avoiding his energy blast.
The sound track is memorable just like every other Sonic game. In the Green Hills Zone the music you hear is very similar to the Sonic CD theme Toot Toot Sonic Warrior. In fact while I'm playing that stage I keep singing that song along with the music.
The controls for the game need no special techniques (meaning anyone can pickup the controller and play). There is no spindash for those of you who might be wondering. A great example of the perfect control setup is in the Aqua Lake Zone. In this zone you at a couple of points, are made navigate the aquatic labyrinth within an ever rising bubble.
If you touch a wall, ceiling, spikes, or badnik the bubble will pop and you will fall down and have to start over. The only control options are to press down to slow the rise and left and right to navigate. The control setup comes into play here when you are navigating trough low ceiling areas. Any lag would have messed this up.
If you are bored you can look up the level select code and have some fun on the extra level (unlockable by finding all the chaos emeralds), or start from where you left off last.