Adventure Island

The Good
Adventure Island is strikingly similar to the original Super Mario Bros. Both games feature a little guy progressing left to right in a side-scrolling action game (and you can't double back right to left) through 8 levels with 4 stages each making for a grand total of 32 areas. The character, Higgins, armed only with a hatchet, must defeat all of the dreaded inhabitants of Adventure Island.

Basically, the game makes me think of Super Mario Bros. on an island. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you never get a chance to make it to the South Pacific in real life.

The Bad
I did not care for the primitive style of single-direction gameplay (you can never scroll from right to left). I also found the game to be impossible around level 8-2, and this was from when I was at my NES prime.

The Bottom Line
If you just can not get enough Super Mario Bros.-style action, this should satisfy your appetite for single-scrolling jumping action. At least there is fruit to eat and not just mushrooms.