Two sequels later and Mario was almost as big as The Beatles (and at least as big as Jesus). Super Mario Bros. 2 was a strange one - it was released in Japan under the name Doki Doki Panic. Nintendo, realising the popularity of Mario in the US, simply replaced the four main characters and called it Super Mario Bros. 2. 1989's Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES was the best-selling game of all time and featured all the ingredients that made the first one so popular, only bigger and therefore, obviously, better. The same year saw Mario's Game Boy debut with Super Mario Land.

In 1991, Nintendo entered the 16bit race with their Super NES (SNES). The console came bundled with Super Mario World and sold very well indeed. It was essentially the same as the NES versions, while taking advantage of the new technology with superior graphics and sound. It was phenomenal.

So where are we now? Well, Mario was brought bang up to date in 1996 as Super Mario 64 thrilled the gaming world and shifted plenty of N64's (anyone notice a pattern emerging here?). He's also had a lucrative sideline in racing with Super Mario Kart 64, a revamped version of the SNES classic. More recently he's been involved in fights (Super Smash Bros.) and parties (Mario Party). He's also partial to the occasional round of golf (check out the review of Mario Golf in this issue). Whatever next? Maybe he'll help Nintendo shift a few Dolphins...