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Super Mario Advance for the GBA is an excellent port of the NES classic Super Mario Brothers 2 game. In Super Mario Advance, gamers get to choose from four characters: Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Toad. Each of the characters has their own special strengths and weaknesses. Players get to battle it out through 7 levels and 20 screens in an attempt to get rid of Wart at the end of the game. What makes this game shine are the additions that Nintendo has added to the game. Five special coins have been added to each of the levels that players have to find in order to get a red star for that level. Once all the coins are collected a new challenge of finding two yoshi eggs on each level becomes an option and only then can a player ultimately master the game. Another added feature to this cartridge is a second game, the original Mario Brothers for the Arcade. This is really an added bonus where a single player for up to 4 people can hack it out on the arcade style classic. The added features to each level and the ability to play this game with up to 3 friends is what makes this game a must have in everyone's GBA library.

When I was in Middle School, I use to spend hours playing my NES, and one of those favorites was Super Mario Bros. 2. I picked up a GBA to pass the time on the commuter train to work. I didn't know what games were good when I walked into Circuit City, so I just grabbed SMA. The game brought back memories. Although I spent countless hours after school with friends trying to beat the game -- and I ultimately succeeded -- I still enjoy this re-release. The game play has not changed nor has the music, but the graphics and sfx are dramatically improved. The game remains a challenge because Nintendo did not tone down the difficulty, but Nintendo added a save game feature and a restart option that I don't remember in the NES version. SMA will keep you entertained or your kid quiet for that long car ride to grandma.

There are two generations of video gamers: those who grew up on Atari, and those who grew up on Nintendo. As it is, not many videogame companies have a library of old school characters and games such as Nintendo does. So when Nintendo decided to republish its classic Super Mario Brothers games on the Game Boy Advance, you can bet there were droves of fans waiting to relive their favorite gaming moments.

Super Mario Advance is the first republished Mario title in the series. It's a faithful GBA port of the NES game, Super Mario Brothers 2, and is also included with a bonus port of the original Mario Brothers. The story in Super Mario Brothers 2 is pretty basic. The Princess hasn't been captured this time, but Mario does have to defeat another warped world full of colorful bad guys. This particular sequel was also the first game to allow gamers to choose between Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess, all of whom have their own special traits. Hopping, throwing, and speed running your way through platforming fun, you'll get a chance to pass 20 separate levels with plenty of bosses at the end of each level.

If you're not someone who enjoys replaying levels, the good news is that the game does allow you to save it at each level so you won't find yourself grinding through the same areas over and over. However, this does make the game fairly easy and before you know it, you will find yourself completing the game. If you do get bored with the Super Mario Brothers 2 portion of the game, you can always switch back over to Mario Brothers and play through some classic arcade stomping fun. Unfortunately, Mario Brothers just doesn't seem to be as much fun as it was in the 80's arcades.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy Super Mario Advance is to link your Game Boy Advance with other gamers so that you can play through Super Mario Brothers 2 or Mario Brothers in multiplayer mode. This especially enlivens Mario Brothers, but whichever game you choose, you'll probably have more fun playing with friends than playing solo.

While Super Mario Advance can be a fun play, it's over quickly and doesn't offer a lot of levels. This reviewer found it fun to relive memories of classic Mario games, but it was over too fast. Frankly, the game just doesn't compare to some of the other longer classics on the GBA such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, and Fire Emblem. Also, Super Mario Brothers 2 was probably the worst of the famous Mario games and you may be better off trying to find remakes of Super Mario World or Super Mario Brothers 3 which have been given their own Super Mario Advance sequels. Super Mario Advance is a fairly easy game to find on the Game Trading Zone and it also sells for a low price, so you should be able to complete a trade without giving up much. However you choose to replay magical Mario Brothers moments, this is one title that will bring back the classic NES memories, but it won't be in your Game Boy Advance for that long.