Pros: Excellent port, 2nd hard level, Challenge game, VS game, Lost Levels game, Racing the Computer game, Photo album, lots of GB printer support
Cons: Small GB screen means there is a tiny bit of up/down scrolling, if you don't have a GB printer, you can't use a few of the features

Bursting with lots of great features, Super Mario Deluxe (SMBD) is more than anyone could ask for. It looks like a simple port of Super Mario from the NES, but it's much more than that. Also, SMBD makes great use of Game Boy Color's color.

First off, you have the original game from 1985. Unlike the NES version, your game gets saved at the beginning of each world. Once you complete the normal version, you go through the "extra hard" version. This has harder enemies, plus a few other changes. Also after you complete the normal version, you have a stage select option.

Play through the game again in the ultra-hard challenge mode. In every stage of the game you need to collect the 5 red coins, find the *hidden* yoshi egg, and meet a certain point total. Along with this, your total score is added up, and you need to reach a certain score, which is higher than all the individual levels combined (aka it's really hard to get). This feature alone with have you playing for hours.

If you have a game link, you can race a friend through the levels in the VS mode. Both people must have a gameboy and SMBD. I haven't used that at all, so I don't have much to say about it.

Once you reach a certain point total in the regular game, you get access to the "Lost Levels", the Japanese sequel to the NES version of SMB that never reached the US, except in a SNES Mario game. This is an extremely hard game.

Reach a higher point total, and you get to race Boo in eight new levels. If you beat Boo, you get to race harder faster different color Boos.

Along with these game modes are a few other fun features. There is a record list of high point scores. There is a photo album, made up of 32 pictures which you have to find all around the game. Many of these are extremely hard to get. Once you get them, you can use the Game Boy Printer to print them out.

Last, there is the toybox, made up of cute goodies that you'll never mostly never need to use. The Yoshi egg finder shows you the screen in which the yoshi egg is hidden from different stages. Only problem is that the stages are chosen from random. There is the fortune telling game, in which you can earn 5 extra lives if you pick the "extra lucky" card. There is a calender/scheduler that goes on for a good many years (I reached 2006 before I stopped looking). Then there are a bunch of features which open up as you beat each level. These mostly work with Game Boy Printer--banners, pictures of good guys and bad guys, various objects from the game, Nintendo ads. The last feature is a way to change the opening screen, and add your own music. However the composer is awkward, and very limiting.

Whew, as you can see, SMBD combines a great deal into a small package. If you've ever played the original SMB, you know what a great game it is. This version makes it portable, plus adds many excellent features.