| SSSS UU UU PPPPP EEEEE RRRRR |

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SSSS UU UU PPPPP EEEEE RRRRR |
| SS S UU UU PP PP EE RR RR |
| SS UU UU PPPPP EE EEE RRRRR |
| S SS UU UU PP EE RR R |
| SSSS UUUU PP EEEEE RR RR |
| |
| MMM MMM AAAAA RRRRR II OOOO BBBBB RRRRR OOOO SSSS 22222 |
| MM MMM MM AA AA RR RR II OO OO BB BB RR RR OO OO SS SS 22 22 |
| MM M MM AA AA RRRRRR II OO OO BBBBB RRRRRR OO OO SSS 22 |
| MM M MM AA AA RRRR II OO OO BBBBB RRRR OO OO SSS 22 |
| MM M MM AAAAAAA RR R II OO OO BB BB RR R OO OO SS SS.. 22 |
| MM M MM AA AA RR RR II OOOO BBBBB RR RR OOOO SSSS .. 2222222 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Game Boy Advance
FAQ/Walkthrough by Charizard06 (Austin Angelus)

+-------------------+
| Table of Contents |
+-------------------+

*To use this easily, copy the line you want to use, and hit Ctrl+F. Then paste
it into the box and you will find the section.*

1. Version History
2. Legal/Contact Info
3. Introduction
4. Story
5a. Items
5b. Enemies
5c. Other Characters
6a. Controls
6b. Advanced Moves
7. Walkthrough
8a. Helpful Tips
8b. Glitches
9. Bonus Rooms
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11a. In-Game Menu
11b. Saving Data
11c. Sleep Mode
12. Changes to SNES
13. Credits

+--------------------+
| 1. Version History |
+--------------------+

Version 0.1 - 08/28/04
Started the walkthrough up to World 3-4.
Did every other section except for 8b: Glitches and 9: Bonus Rooms.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.2 - 09/01/04
Covered the walkthrough up to World 4-4.
Posted some glitches on Section 8b.
The rarity ratings for the items and enemies are more accurate.
Added a new note under Section 2: Legal/Contact Info.
Added "Pipe" under Section 5a: Items.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.3 - 12/28/04
OK. The reason why I wasn't able to update this FAQ is because I had my game
stolen a while back. I didn't replace it until a few days ago, so
therefore, I hadn't been able to update this FAQ until now. But, there are
many changes to this update.
Added "Infinite 1-UP trick" and "Bowser Decoys" in Section 8a: Helpful Tips.
Added two people (...er, three, one of which is anonymous) in the Credits
section.
Added a very helpful tip for World 3-4. I put it AFTER that long ASCII art of
the maze.
Made a clarification in "Hammer Immunity" in Section 8b: Glitches.
Finished up to World 5-4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.31 - 12/28/04
Minor update: Added the site http://www.neoseeker.com/ to the list of sites
allowed to use this FAQ.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.4 - 01/12/05
Walkthrough is now covered up to 6-4.
Added a power-up I missed in 5-3.
Added a new glitch called "Timer Loop."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.5 - 05/16/05
Again, it's been a long time since this FAQ was last updated... but this time
because I was lazy.
Walkthrough is now covered up to 7-4.
Added a few Frequently Asked Questions.
Added a glitch called "Missing Flagpole."
Added some information about Worlds A, B, C, and D (in Section 8a).
Added underground Bonus Rooms (see Section 9). I have yet to include airborne
or underwater Bonus Rooms, however... they will be a pain in the neck to
complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.6 - 10/09/05
Created a brand new "Changes to SNES" section for this FAQ. The section is
basically all (or at least many) of the changes done to the SNES game Super
Mario All-Stars (or Super Mario Collection in Japan), with a huge thanks to
BuchanMan X for writing the section.
Walkthrough is now covered up to 8-4. Finally, the first part of this game is
covered!
Fixed a few typos in this guide.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 0.7 - 10/14/05
Added the site http://www.supercheats.com/ to the list of sites allowed to
use this FAQ.
Walkthrough is now covered up to 9-4.
Fixed some more typos.

+-----------------------+
| 2. Legal/Contact Info |
+-----------------------+

This guide is Copyright (c) 2004-2005 by Austin Angelus. It may not be posted
on your website without my permission. If you want permission, send me E-Mail.
I *might* give you permission, but it isn't guaranteed. If you put this guide
on your site without permission, I will ask you to remove it within 14 days.
And if you refuse to do that... well, I don't want to go there; I will take
legal action. And especially, do not sell this guide.

If you want to put this on your site, make sure to update it whenever I update
it. Also, if you want to put it as part of a frame, make sure it's removable.
Leave the file in *.txt form. Finally, do not edit any part of this FAQ.

Also, if you see this guide on another site without permission (see the list
below), E-Mail me IMMEDIATELY.

My E-Mail address is charizard06 @ comcast.net (remove the spaces as
necessary). If you wish to send me E-Mail, look at the following guidelines
first:

- Do not send SPAM (a.k.a. "Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages"). In other
words, do not sell me anything, because I'm not interested. Thank you.
- Make sure the subject is "Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros. 2 FAQ". If you
don't, I will mistakenly assume that it is spam, and therefore I will delete
it, which means your message will never get to me.
- No pictures! I don't want to take the risk of offensive images in the E-Mail.
I will delete it before I even read the E-Mail.
- No attachments! If you send me one, don't worry, I'll still read the E-Mail,
but I won't open the attachment. I don't want to risk viruses.
- Please don't send unconstructive criticism. If there's something about the
FAQ you don't like, please say it nicely.
- If you have a question, please check the walkthrough or the frequently asked
questions section. If you don't see it there, feel free to ask me. Also, feel
free to correct any errors.
- When I credit you, tell me what you want as an "alias", otherwise, I will
credit you by your E-Mail address.
- And lastly, don't send me "chain mail" or "pyramid schemes". They are
annoying.

The following sites are currently allowed to post my FAQ:

> http://www.gamefaqs.com/
> http://www.gamespot.com/
> http://www.neoseeker.com/
> http://www.supercheats.com/

The following sites are NOT allowed to post this FAQ:

(Thankfully, there are none yet)

Also: You are also not allowed to link directly to this FAQ (except for the
sites listed in the "allowed" list). Feel free, however, to link to the LIST of
FAQ's. Just not directly to it.

The latest version of this FAQ can be found at: http://www.gamefaqs.com/

+-----------------+
| 3. Introduction |
+-----------------+

You're probably wondering, "What exactly is this game?" Well, I will first
explain the Famicom Mini games. They are games ported from Famicom and Famicom
Disk System games (neither of which I know too much about, as I don't live in
Japan), like our Classic NES Series. (Yes, I imported this game.)

Now you might be wondering, "What is this Famicom you speak of?" Well, it's not
called NES in Japan, but rather a Family Computer, or Famicom for short. Next,
there is an add-on called the Famicom Disk System, which, from what I
understand, you plug into the Famicom (much like how you plug an e-Reader into
a Game Boy Advance). The Famicom Disk System plays games made out of yellow
floppy discs. This is why the Famicom Mini Series 3 cartridges are yellow.

Now that we have that covered, you're most likely wondering, "This is Super
Mario Bros. 2? I thought you had to throw vegetables at Shy Guys!" Well, you're
wrong. Japan had a different Super Mario Bros. 2 than we Americans did.
(Remember, this is a Japanese game.) This has the same game engine as Super
Mario Bros., but the levels are a lot harder. Then, when it was time for a
sequel in North America (and Europe), they decided not to release it here
because it was thought to be too challenging, which is pretty insulting. If it
were not too challenging in Japan, why would it be here? Although, it WAS
eventually released in Super Mario All-Stars (for SNES, which I don't own) as
"Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels". Then, it was released on the GBC game
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe as "Super Mario Bros. for Super Players".

So, anyway, you're thinking, "So where did our Super Mario Bros. 2 come from?"
Simple. It was taken from a Japan-only game called "Doki Doki Panic." It had a
different storyline, and had different characters (they were originally Arabic
characters). It wasn't even a Mario game. Anyway, they changed the characters
into Mario characters -- Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad -- and the plot as well,
as well as a few other things (most noticeably upgraded animation), and called
it "Super Mario Bros. 2". This is why it is so different from other Mario games
(in my opinion, it is fun nonetheless). By the way, our Super Mario Bros. 2 was
eventually released as "Super Mario USA" in Japan.

This Super Mario Bros. 2 is a bit different from the original Super Mario Bros.
Some of the graphics were changed, such as the floor on the bottom is now
stone, the font has a shadow effect on it, clouds have faces, and some others.
However, most of the graphics remained the same. And, there are new additions
as well. The most important one is the Poison Mushroom, which makes you SHRINK
when you hit it. Another noticeable addition is the Red Piranha Plant. These
will always come out of pipes, even if you standing next to the pipe. There are
other additions too, but there are too many to list!

Additionally, another big change is the difference between Mario and Luigi.
Although only one player can play at a time, you can choose your character at
the start of a game. Mario plays almost the game as he did in SMB, however, he
seems to bounce a bit higher off of enemies than before. Luigi, however, jumps
much higher than Mario, runs a bit slower, skids like crazy and he bounces even
higher than Mario does off an enemy. So choosing your character can change the
difficulty of various levels. And no, Luigi doesn't kick when jumping, seeing
that their sprites are the same, just different colors.

+----------+
| 4. Story |
+----------+

The story is the same as the original. Bowser turns all the Mushroom Kingdom
citizens to stone, and the only one who can break this spell is Princess Peach.
However, Bowser has her locked up in one of the eight castles. Fortunately,
Mario and Luigi are willing to save Peach from Bowser. Also, the other castles
have Toad in them, so you can rescue those as well if you want.

+-----------+
| 5a. Items |
+-----------+

Famicom Mini: Super Mario Bros. 2 is full of items and power-ups in this game,
and here they are.

- Mushroom -
Value: 1000 pts.
Rarity: Common
Description: When you are regular Mario or Luigi, some ? Blocks can reveal
these red and orange power-ups. If you get one, you will become Super Mario
or Luigi, and you will get an extra hit from an enemy. You can also break
brick blocks. If you are hit while you are in Super form, you will shrink
back.

- Poison Mushroom -
Value: 0 pts.
Rarity: Common
Description: These look like Mushrooms, but they have black dots and their
color matches that of the level. Also, they do the opposite of Mushrooms. If
you touch one while big, you will shrink. If you touch one while you are
already small, you will lose a life. Avoid these at all costs. Also, these
never existed in the original SMB.

- 1-UP Mushroom -
Rarity: Rare
Description: These rare beauties will give you an extra life and are green in
color. They are found in invisible blocks USUALLY on the first level of each
world, and usually only once per game. Also, they can only be found if you
warp to the level, or if you get every coin in the third level of the
preceding world.

- Fire Flower -
Value: 1000 pts.
Rarity: Common
Description: If you are Super Mario or Luigi, a ? Block may reveal this
instead of a Mushroom. Touch one, and you will turn orange and you can shoot
fireballs by pressing B. Most enemies will be knocked out from them, but
some enemies like Buzzy Beetles are immune to this attack.

- Starman -
Value: 1000 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These appear from brick blocks. They bounce and you have to chase
them down. Hit one and you will be invincible for a short period of time.
These power-ups are useful when there are a lot of enemies in one place.

- Coin -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Very common
Description: These items are very abundant throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.
They can be hidden inside ? Blocks, brick blocks, and even invisible blocks.
They can also be found lying in the air or on the ground. 100 of these will
give you an extra life.

- Vine -
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These are found from brick blocks. When you climb them, you are
taken to "coin heaven." You ride on a cloud platform and get as many coins
as possible, while hearing Starman music. After you fall down at the end,
you are taken to another part of the level. Not all vines take you to "coin
heavens," though. Some take you to Warp Zones, and there's one that is
necessary to finish one level.

- ? Block -
Rarity: Very common
Description: Not really an item, but if you hit the bottom of one, an item
will come out of the top. These can be Mushrooms, Poison Mushrooms, Coins,
or Fire Flowers. You don't know what's inside until you hit it! Also, you
can kill most enemies by hitting the bottom of a ? Block while the enemy is
above the same block.

- Used ? Block -
Rarity: Very common
Description: This is what a ? Block or certain brick blocks will turn into
after it is used. Also, Firebars usually, but not always, spin around this
as well.

- Brick Block -
Value: 50 pts.
Rarity: Very common
Description: Usually, these blocks can only be broken with Super Mario/Luigi
or Fiery Mario/Luigi. But some others are really ? Blocks. If this is the
case, then it can hold anything a ? Block can hold, plus it can also reveal
Vines, Starmen, or multiple Coins. And, like the ? Blocks, punching it from
the bottom will kill most enemies directly above the same block.

- Springboard -
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These come in two colors: red and green. The red ones are just
like in original Super Mario Bros., which, when you press A at the right
time, will launch you in the air and are useful to get to high platforms.
The new green one launches you very high in the air! You fly off the screen
for a long time, allowing you to skip a huge portion of a level. There is
even a level full of wind and green springboards! Use these wisely!

- Pipe -
Rarity: Very common
Description: These appear everywhere in every single level. Most of these have
Piranha Plants in them. Also, some of them can be entered by pressing Down
(or Right, depending on the formation), and you will end up in another part
of the level. A few of them can take you to another world of the game, and
unlike SMB, sometimes they can take you back a few worlds! And, pipes can be
upside-down in this game, unlike in SMB.

- Flagpole -
Value: 100-5000 pts. (varies)
Rarity: Take a guess, there's one in each level...
Description: In order to beat a level (other than the castle levels), you have
to get to the Flagpole. The higher up you get, the more points you receive.

- Axe -
Rarity: Uh, take another guess...
Description: Every castle has this axe. You must touch it to beat the castle.
Doing so will cause the chain holding the bridge to break, which makes the
bridge fall. And then, Bowser falls down with it.

+-------------+
| 5b. Enemies |
+-------------+

- Goomba -
Value: 100 pts.
Rarity: Very common
Description: These living mushrooms are pretty easy to beat and are usually in
groups. All you have to do is jump on one or shoot a fireball at it. They
also change color according to the color of the level.

- Koopa Troopa -
Value: 100 pts.
Rarity: Very common (green/blue/gray), Common (red)
Description: These come in four colors: green, red, blue, and gray. All except
red fall off of platforms, and their color changes according to the level.
Red Koopas always stay on platforms and can become pretty annoying, unless
they were originally Red Koopa Paratroopas which were stomped on, in which
case they will act like other colored Koopas. When you jump on one (unless
you're underwater), it will hide in its shell, and it can be kicked. When
kicked, other enemies will be defeated, and each enemy it defeats will give
you more and more points: 500, 800, 1000, 2000, 4000, 5000, 8000. Each enemy
a shell defeats after that gives you an extra life. If it hits a wall or
pipe, it will ricochet and bounce back at you. If you stomp on it again, it
will stop moving. If you leave it alone for a while, it will get back up.
Fireballs will instantly eliminate these. Also, don't jump on them when
you're underwater, because they will hurt you.

- Koopa Paratroopa -
Value: 400 pts.
Rarity: Very common (green/blue/gray), Common (red)
Description: Like the Koopa Troopas, they come in green, red, blue, and gray.
Red ones always fly vertically back and forth, and green, blue, and gray
Koopas usually hop. However, sometimes they can fly horizontally back and
forth as well. Jumping on one will revert it to a regular Koopa Troopa,
unless you're underwater, in which case you should avoid it at all costs.

- Buzzy Beetle -
Value: 100 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These are like Koopa Troopas, but they are immune to fireballs,
and they don't have a flying form. Also, they look completely different, and
they always fall off of cliffs. The gray Buzzy Beetles, when underwater, are
dangerous because they can't be stomped on OR be gotten with fireballs.

- Piranha Plant -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Common
Description: Unlike the original, which only had green and blue Piranha
Plants, this game also has red. They appear out of almost every single pipe
and you can't jump on it. Fireballs, however, will kill them. Green and blue
ones (which colors change depending on the background of the level) won't
come out of pipes if you're standing on, above, or next to the pipe, but red
ones (which start to appear on 4-1) will appear even if you're right next to
the pipe or if you're standing on the very edge of it. Also, since there are
upside-down pipes in this game, Piranha Plants can also be upside-down.

- Hammer Brother -
Value: 1000 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These guys like to throw hammers like crazy. Unlike the original
(and SMB3), which usually had them in pairs and with a lot of brick blocks,
this game usually has one Hammer Brother at a time and without the brick
blocks (ouch). Fireballs are very effective against these, but if you don't
have a Fire Flower, your best bet is to avoid these completely. You can jump
on them, but you risk getting hit by a hammer by doing so.

- Lakitu -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These turtles like riding in clouds and throwing Spiny Eggs at
you! They are usually in out-of-reach positions as well, making it hard to
jump on one. And even if you do, Lakitu will reappear eventually. They can
be a pain in the neck at times. Fortunately, they will stop throwing eggs if
there are a lot of enemies on the screen. Also, the eggs are always
vertical, so if you keep running, they will never hit you.

- Spiny Egg -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These spiky eggs are thrown by the annoying Lakitu. They always
fall vertically, unlike SMB3 where Lakitu can predict your movement (what a
relief!) You also can't jump on it, but fireballs are very handy here.

- Spiny -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: As soon as a Spiny Egg hits the ground, it hatches into a Spiny.
You can't jump on it, and you can't hit it from the bottom of a block. Also,
when it falls down a platform, it will change direction depending on where
you are. Spinies can be very frustrating. It's a good thing that fireballs
kill them.

- Bullet Bill -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These bullets are launched out of cannons. They are usually in
groups and are somewhat hard to avoid. Fireballs do not affect it. You can
jump on it, though. If you're right on or next to their cannon, they won't
fire. Cannons never fire any Bullet Bills underwater, either. Use this to
your advantage.

- Cheep Cheep -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These are basic fish that swim in water. They come in two colors:
red and gray. Red ones move faster than gray ones, but both are slow.
Surprisingly, they can be hit by fireballs. When Cheep Cheeps jump on levels
above water, they are really frustrating (and only red ones appear). If you
run often, however, they'll rarely hit you.

- Blooper -
Value: 200 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These are more annoying than Cheep Cheep. They are squids that
float around and follow you a lot. Mario and Luigi can swim faster, however,
so it's not the end of the world. Also, in this game only, there are FLYING
Bloopers! Yes, that's right. In the air, they float around as if underwater,
and you can, thankfully, stomp on them above water. And, in both underwater
and above water, they can be shot with fireballs.

- Podoboo -
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: These fireballs appear out of lava in almost all castle levels.
They jump out, and fall back in. It's not consistent, either, so you have to
have good reflexes to avoid getting hit. Not only that, but you can't jump
on it OR shoot fireballs at it, so you should avoid it completely.

- Firebar -
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: This chain of small fireballs (the size of Mario's and Luigi's)
swings around in circles. It is usually, but not always, around a used
? Block. Some chains are bigger than others, and others are faster than
others, so be very careful getting past the larger or quicker ones. Also,
your own fireballs do not affect it, let alone jumping. And in this game,
they aren't only in castles -- they can be in ordinary levels too!

- Bowser -
Value: 5000 pts.
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: Bowser, King of the Koopas, is the reason why you're playing this
game in the first place. He is the one who unleashed the black magic spell,
and kidnapped Peach (along with seven Toads). Bowser appears at the end of
every castle... well, a decoy, anyway. The REAL Bowser is at 8-4. Anyway,
when you see him, he breathes out fire! Be careful. In some levels, he
throws hammers instead (which, in my opinion, is easier to dodge). The best
way to counter him is to throw five fireballs at him, giving you 5,000
points, revealing his identity, and being able to beat the level! But, if
you don't have a Fire Flower, the next best method is to wait for him to
jump, then run under him. Then, when you get the axe, the bridge will
disappear. Also, in some castles in this game, there are TWO Bowsers --
watch out!

+----------------------+
| 5c. Other Characters |
+----------------------+

- Mario -
Yes, we all know who Mario is... he is considered an Italian plumber who is
set out to save the Mushroom Kingdom! He is a good choice in the game for
levels that require a lot of speed or levels with narrow platforms.

- Luigi -
He is Mario's brother. (Duh.) Instead of wearing red and brown, Luigi wears
green and white (he looks better with blue instead of white, though). He jumps
higher, but he has a bit of a skidding problem, and he runs a bit slower. He
is better for levels with high and long jumps. Too bad he doesn't kick while
jumping...

- Toad -
Toad is Peach's servant, who looks like a mushroom, and he is locked up (along
with other Toads) in most castles. Mario and Luigi must save him along with
Peach. And like in the original, he always says, "Thank you Mario! But our
Princess is in another castle!" (Or, if you're playing as Luigi, Toad will say
"Luigi" instead of "Mario.")

- Peach -
Peach is the only one who can break the spell from Bowser's black magic, but
unfortunately she is locked up in one of the castles (dang you Bowser!) She is
also friends with Toad, and she looks a bit better in this game than she did
in SMB1.

+--------------+
| 6a. Controls |
+--------------+
__________________________________
_______/ \_______
|___L__| Nintendo |__R___|
| __________________________ |
| | | |
| | | |
| _ | | ___ |
| _| |_ | GAME BOY | ___ | A ||
| |_ _| | | | B ||___||
| |_| | Nintendo | |___| |
| _ | | |
| Start |_| | | |
| Select|_| |__________________________| / / / |
| |_____GAME_BOY_ADVANCE_____| / / / |
\___ ____ / / /___/
\_|____|___________________________________/

A Button:
- Jump. The longer you hold this, the higher Mario or Luigi will jump.
- Swim. Repeatedly press A to rise up.
- Make selections in the In-Game Menu.
- Instantly exit out of the Famicom Disk System screen.

B Button:
- While Fiery Mario or Luigi, this shoots out fireballs. Only two can be on
the screen at one time.
- Hold this to run. While running, Mario and Luigi can skip across one-block-
wide gaps, and they can jump farther.
- Exit out of the In-Game Menu.
- Press this on the Famicom Disk System screen to get a "Now Loading..."
message.

Select Button:
- Choose between "Mario Game" and "Luigi Game" on the Title Screen. Mario
runs faster and doesn't skid very much, but Luigi jumps higher and tends to
float a bit.
- Choose an option on the In-Game Menu.

Start Button:
- Confirm your character choice on the Title Screen.
- Make selections in the In-Game Menu.
- Pause the game. While paused, press Start to resume.

L+R Buttons:
- Access the In-Game Menu.
- While in the In-Game Menu, exit it.
- Press this as soon as you turn the game on, and you will be asked if you
want to erase all saved data. I think the first option erases the data (I
can't read Japanese, so can someone confirm this?).

L+R+Select Buttons:
- Exit out of Sleep Mode.

A+B Buttons:
- Press this as soon as you turn the game on to access the Famicom Disk
System screen.

Control Pad:
- Left:
- Move Mario or Luigi to the left.
- Right:
- Move Mario or Luigi to the right.
- Up:
- Climb up a vine.
- When in the In-Game Menu, choose the option above you.
- Down:
- When in Super or Fiery form, use this to crouch. This is useful to dodge
enemy attacks or slide under tight gaps.
- Enter some pipes. Not all pipes can be entered.
- When in the In-Game Menu, choose the option below you.

+--------------------+
| 6b. Advanced Moves |
+--------------------+

- Walking Jump -
While walking, you can jump a bit farther than normal. This is useful for
making somewhat long jumps.

- Running Jump -
While holding B and jumping, you can jump very far and high. You need this to
get to far platforms. Beware, though, as it's difficult to turn back in mid-
air.

- Running Squat -
Run for a long time, and press Down. You will slide a long distance. This is
useful to get under small openings that are one block high.

- Sliding -
If you perform the Running Squat move listed above, and you end up under a
block, let go of Down. Mario or Luigi will automatically slide to the right
until he's not touching any blocks (that includes both his head and feet).
Also, the screen won't scroll.

- Ducking Jump -
You can do this move while holding Down and jumping. This move is useful to
get to high, small openings, or to dodge difficult enemies.

- Gap Crossing -
If you run fast, you can skip over one-block-wide gaps. Useful indeed.

- Squat + Gap Crossing -
If you perform a Running Squat while going over a one-block-wide gap, you
might make it across. Useful for bricks above one-block-wide gaps, like in
1-2.

- Arc Jump -
If there are blocks right above blocks you're standing on, you may have to use
this move. Simply stand on the very edge of the block, jump, and you will end
up on the one above you.

+----------------+
| 7. Walkthrough |
+----------------+

All right, here it is... Super Mario Bros. 2. Simply turn on the Game Boy,
press Select to choose between Mario or Luigi (see section 5c for their
differences), and press Start to begin your game!

It is recommended that you play the first Super Mario Bros. a lot until you get
to the point where you're experienced with the game, because if you haven't
beat the original, you'll have a hard time beating this game.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 1-1 - Difficulty: 3/10
------------- Recommended Character: Mario

This level introduces you to some of the basics. First, you'll notice a "World
1-1" screen, then the level will start. You'll see a green Koopa Paratroopa;
jump on it to turn it into a regular Koopa. Then, you'll see a red Koopa Troopa
in a little "chamber". There are some brick blocks. Hit the bottom of the
second one to reveal a Mushroom. Then, if you're Luigi, you can jump into the
chamber to get the Mushroom. If you're Mario, the Mushroom is a bit harder to
get. To do so...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______
+----+ / O O \ +----+
|\__/| \______/ |\__/|
|/ \| | || | |/ \|
+----+ |____| +----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||_|__||. .||_|__||_|__||\__/|
|/ \||__|_||. .||__|_||__|_||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
^^
||
||
..make sure to bump this block when the Mushroom is in this position. (Don't
worry about the red Koopa Troopa.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When you get the Mushroom, you will become bigger, and you will get an extra
chance not to be hit by an enemy.

Next, you will come across five "? Blocks". The first, second, fourth, and
fifth contain coins; 100 of these give you an extra life. Don't get the middle
one, though; it contains a Poison Mushroom. Touch one, and you will shrink. Or
if you're already small, you will lose a life! Very embarrassing on the first
level. Then, you will see a Piranha Plant on top of a pipe. Avoid it. You will
see another pipe and two Goombas; stomp on those. Then, after the pipe is a
hidden 1-UP Mushroom!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______
/ O O \
\______/
| || |
|____|
+----+
|. .|
|. .|
+----+
+----------+ ^^
| | | | | ||
| | | | | \-------------Hit the bottom of this invisible block
+----------+ ____ to reveal a 1-UP Mushroom.
| | < || >
| | <____> <----------------This is just the top of a
| | < > <----------------tree in the background.
| | <____>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then, after you have the 1-UP Mushroom (which gives you an extra life), avoid
the next Piranha Plant and jump across the bottomless pit (jump in it and you
die).

Here, hit the first brick block on the bottom row to reveal a Starman; this
makes you invincible. If you are small and you want to get the coins above,
just hit the blocks: even though they won't break while you're small, the coins
will still be collected. Or, as Super Mario/Luigi, you can just jump up there.
Then, if you want, you can get the brick block just past the "staircase" to
reveal multiple coins. Once you do, get back up to the top.

In this part, you can't be invincible to do this. Jump on the red Koopa Troopa
and kick the shell to the right. It will fall down and ricochet off the block
and then it will hit the green Koopas. Then it will fall down and ricochet back
to the right. If the shell is close to the right of the screen, it may kill
enough enemies for ANOTHER 1-UP! Amazing! (BTW, the ? Blocks you missed just
contained coins, except for the third one, which has a Poison Mushroom, so you
didn't miss much.)

Now, get past another Piranha Plant, and then jump to the bricks. If you want
to take a shortcut, fall down to the right, and jump left to the pipe. Press
down to enter it. You will enter a Bonus Room #1 (see Section 9 for the coins
and Mushroom).

If you didn't take the shortcut, go to the right and avoid the green Koopa and
Piranha Plant. Then you will see four ? Blocks. The first three have coins
(again! You will see lots of those...), and the fourth contains a Mushroom, or,
if you're big, a Fire Flower. You can shoot fireballs with these by pressing B.

Jump above the pit, and you will see a red Koopa Troopa. If you have fire
power, now is the time to abuse it. Shoot a fireball at the Koopa and the
Piranha Plant that you'll see. Then you'll see another Goomba. Stomp/fireball
it. Then you will see a staircase. This marks the end of the level. You'll then
see a flagpole; touch it to end the level. If you thought THIS level was
hard...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------- Warp Zones: 2, 3, 4
- World 1-2 - Difficulty: 4/10
-------------

At the start of this level, Mario/Luigi will automatically walk into a pipe.
This will be very common in the second level of a world.

Now, you will be in an underground area, and the blocks are all blue. Avoid the
blue Koopa Paratroopa, and once you do, make a long jump past the water (you
cannot swim in water if you're in a land level, like this one). You will be on
a staircase.

If you want a power-up, hit the block right above the last pile of "stair
blocks." Mario has to perform a running jump, but Luigi can just stand and jump
to get it. And Mario can't get the power-up if it's a Fire Flower, but Luigi
can. And any character can get it if it's a Mushroom.

Here, get past the blue Piranha Plant as well as the blue Goombas. Watch out
for the pit too. As for the Goombas, wait until they're not under the bricks.
Then you can stomp on them. If you're big and you want coins, keep breaking the
second reachable column of bricks until you reveal the block. Once you're done,
perform a running squat under the blocks to get across. Or if you're small,
simply run under.

You will come across a Piranha Plant. Get past it. Next you'll see a new enemy:
the Buzzy Beetle. It's like a Koopa Troopa, but fireballs do not affect it.
Anyway, if you wish to warp to World 3, follow the directions below. If not,
skip to the next part.

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 3 -----------------------------
----------------------------

This is simple to do once you understand it. First, there's a coin block a bit
to the right of the pipe, but to the left of the staircase. Once you find the
coin block, the first brick block after that reveals a vine -- the first of its
kind!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----+
^
|
--------------Hit this brick block to reveal a vine,
then touch it to climb it up!

+----+
|. .| <----------Invisible block containing a coin.
|. .|
+----+
+----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----+
+----------+ +----++----++----++----++----+
| | | | | |\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
| | | | | |/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----------+ +----++----++----++----++----+
| | +----++----++----++----++----++----+
| | |\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
| | |/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
| | +----++----++----++----++----++----+
| | +----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
| | |\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
| | |/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
| | There's a +----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
| | Buzzy Beetle +----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
| | somewhere |\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
| | around here. |/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
___|____|_____________________+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you've done that, touch the vine to climb it up, and you will end up in a
tree-top area. Collect all of the coins if you wish, and make sure not to fall
off! At the end, you will see "WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!" with a 3 under it. Enter
the pipe to go to World 3-1.

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 3 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

If you didn't want to do that, then you now have two options: break bricks (if
you're big) and go on top of the screen, or go on the collapsible lifts. Either
way is pretty easy. If you're going below the blocks, just watch out that as
soon as you touch a lift, it will fall down, so you have to jump off
immediately! But before you go on the lifts, there are secrets to find:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----+ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
|_|__||_|__| || || || ||
|__|_||__|_| || || || ||
+----++----+ || || || ||
+----+ ^^ ^^ 1-UP || 1-UP ||
|_|__| || || Mushroom || Mushroom ||
|__|_| Important! || ||
+----+ Break these Mushroom/ Mushroom/
blocks! Fire Flower Fire Flower

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obviously, it will be a Mushroom when you're small, and a Fire Flower when
you're big.

And there's one thing you MUST remember. Only one power-up can appear on the
screen at any given time. So you must CHOOSE between what you want. And you can
only get one of those things too (although it is possible to get both a Fire
Flower and a 1-UP Mushroom).

Now to get these items, you must break the blocks in the ASCII art above. Then
go above the brick blocks and chase after the item. Fire Flowers are easier to
get, since they don't move. So it is actually possible to get a Fire Flower
then a 1-UP Mushroom. And unlike other 1-UP Mushrooms in other levels, they
reappear each time you lose a life.

Now, once you get across with either method, you will see seven pipes, six of
which have Piranha Plants; dodge them and carefully jump from one pipe to the
next. You will then see three Koopa Troopas; avoid those too. If you want more
coins, the top brick block in the second column of the "upside-down staircase"
has some. Then you'll see another of those lifts that look like Mushrooms, jump
on it and quickly jump to the elevators that go up. Now, you have three options
here: go to World 1-3, 2-1, or 4-1. If you want to enter 1-3, simply enter the
horizontal pipe. Getting to the others can be tricky. First, when the elevator
is high enough, jump on the brick blocks suspended in mid-air. Then jump above
the pipe, and run to the right.

You will see a pipe. If you want to go to World 4-1, enter it. Otherwise, go to
the right.

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 4 -----------------------------
----------------------------

Go down the first pipe after the long brick wall. You will come across three ?
Blocks. The first two have coins; the last one has a Mushroom/Fire Flower. If
you're small, getting the Mushroom can be tough since you risk jumping into
water, and you shouldn't get it anyway. If you decide to get the Mushroom, the
next part will be harder. Then jump on another collapsible lift and get to the
next platform. Wait for the Piranha Plant to go in its pipe, and jump on it.
Then jump on the next lift, and jump immediately. You should easily make it
over the next Piranha Plant.

Now do you see why this next part is difficult with a Mushroom? Yep. A wall of
brick blocks is right above a small pit of water. If you're small, this will be
simple: just run over the water. (I call this trick "Gap Crossing.") If you're
big, this will be harder. Run, and right before you are about to hit the
blocks, duck. It's better to do this too late than too early. Because if you do
it too early, you will fall in the water. Too late and you just have to try
again. If done correctly, however, you will slide over the water and make it.

Now this next part is hard. Get past the Piranha Plant, and get rid of the red
Koopa Troopa (kick it in the water). Next, stand on the last block, and jump.
You will reveal a hidden coin block. Now jump on the coin block, and stand on
the right edge of it. Jump again, and you will reveal another coin block. Now
jump on the second block, and jump on the pile of bricks. Run to the right, and
fall down, and you will eventually see "WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!" with a 4 under
it. Enter the pipe.

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 4 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 2 -----------------------------
----------------------------

If you want to go to World 2 instead of 4, then ignore the first pipe past the
pile of bricks. You will see another pipe with a Piranha Plant; dodge it. Next,
go up the staircase and fall down at the end. You will see the message "WELCOME
TO WARP ZONE!" with a 2 below it. Enter the pipe to go to World 2.

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 2 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

If you decided not to take any warps, then enter the elbow pipe at the end of
the level. Then you will go back above ground; this is just like the end of 1
1. Finish the level to go to 1-3.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 1-3 - Difficulty: 5/10
-------------

This is your first tree-top level (excluding one of the Warp Zones in the
previous level), and it's a pretty hard one too, though not as hard as the
later ones. You may think I'm crazy for recommending Mario in this world, but
he's useful for this level.

First, jump on top of the first tree with a coin on it. Then you will see a
Scale Lift: the first of its kind! When you jump on one, it will fall, but the
connecting one will rise! So make sure that right one is somewhat high enough
to be able to go on the next tree.

Now, get rid of the red Koopa and get 5 coins. Then fall down and avoid the
other two Koopas. When you're on the bridge, you will see a flying Blooper!
This wasn't in the original SMB. Jump on it or shoot a fireball to get rid of
it (if it follows you). If you go the right, you will see a slightly higher
platform. You will also see a red Paratroopa. You can bounce off it (not
recommended) or simply jump to the next platform (recommended).

Then you will see a lift moving horizontally. Also, it won't collapse if you
jump on it, so don't worry. Stand on the left of the lift and run right to gain
momentum as you jump to the next tree.

You will see another Scale Lift, like the one you saw before. Jump on it, but
not for too long. Collect the coins if you wish. Try to make it to the really
high tree. If you don't, you will have a harder time. If you're on the higher
tree, jump to the next tree. If you're on the lower one, jump on the blocks
suspended in mid-air, and then instantly jump to the next tree.

Fall down to the tree below, and get rid of the Koopa. If you are Regular or
Super Mario/Luigi, get the ? Block. The Mushroom is harder to get; what you
want to do is run to the left side right after you hit the block, and jump
above it ASAP. If fast enough, you will get the Mushroom before it even gets a
chance to fall down. And obviously, a Fire Flower is easy to get here. Then
stand on the block and jump to the next tree.

You will see another horizontal lift. Jump on it, then jump on the Scale Lift.
Try to raise the right side as much as possible, then jump there. Then jump on
the next tree, and then the next one after that. Finally, jump to the Flagpole
to end this long level. You probably had enough of this level already.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 1-4 - Difficulty: 5/10
-------------

OK, this is your first (and easiest) castle level. Move to the right, avoiding
the chain of fireballs (known as a "Firebar"). Jump twice to the right, and get
the ? Block if you need to (it contains a Mushroom/Fire Flower). Both Mario and
Luigi can get the Fire Flower; if you're Mario, you have to stand on the left
edge of the platform left of you, run, and jump towards it. Getting a Mushroom
is difficult for the same reason as in 1-3. If you get the power-up (or if you
didn't), jump to the right and avoid the next Firebar. Fall down to the right,
go above the suspended platform, and avoid the two Firebars (which is a bit
difficult).

Then jump to the staircase, and avoid the next three Firebars in the ceiling,
as well as any Koopa Troopas and the Firebar below you. At this point, you
should see small fire breath. This is coming from Bowser. Try to avoid it as
much as possible.

Jump to the next platform and try to avoid the next Firebar (and keep in mind,
Bowser will keep breathing fire). Jump quickly to the next platform, and then
jump to the right again.

You will see three mini-walls, which you can use as defense for the fire that
comes at you.

Once you get past that, you will meet Bowser! Er, not really, but your
objective here is to hit the Axe to finish the level. The more powerful you
are, the easier time you will have with him. Fiery Mario and Luigi can shoot
five fireballs at him, while keeping a safe distance, which will reveal his
decoy, which is, in this level, a Goomba. (Did you really think it was Bowser?)

However, if you're Super Mario/Luigi, then you have to try to dodge him, which
is difficult, but you have two chances to survive, plus you stay invincible for
a long time if you get hit, giving you enough time to run all the way to the
right.

If you're Regular Mario/Luigi, this will be even harder. You have only one
chance not to get hit, so you have to be really careful. Thankfully, there is a
horizontally moving lift to help you out. In later levels, though, it is
recommended that you wait for Bowser to jump so that you can run under him.

Anyway, if you make it to the Axe, Toad will greet you and say this, "Thank you
Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!" (If you're Luigi, he will say
"Luigi" instead of "Mario".) Then, your timer will be counted down (unlike the
original SMB) and you will start 2-1. Happy? I bet!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 2-1 - Difficulty: 5/10
------------- Recommended Character: Luigi

In this world, it is nighttime (the sky is black). Start this level by jumping
on the bridge and carefully dodging the green Paratroopas. Eventually, you will
see three ? Blocks. The middle one is a power-up; the other two are coins. Once
you get those, jump on the tree-top and then jump over the water to the
staircase. Hit the middle brick block to reveal a Starman. You can kill the
Piranha Plants easily here, and if you go in the pipe below the platform you're
on, you can go in a room (Bonus Room #2) with lots of coins. Don't scroll the
screen too far to the right, though, as you don't be able to make it in. Also,
it isn't a shortcut and you will lose your Starman, so think twice before
deciding to do this.

If you decided to get all the coins, you will end up in the second-to-last
pipe. If you didn't go in that pipe, then you will be in the same place, but
with a Starman. Either way, jump to the right and avoid the Piranha Plants if
you don't have the Starman. Then jump to a tree-top, which has an two invisible
blocks: one with a coin and one with a power-up. After that, jump on the lift.
Then jump on the next tree-top, and what's this? A green springboard! Jump on it
and press A when it is at its lowest point to spring very high. You can skip
this hard part of the level. Now, if you want to get a vine (the second one
you've seen), here are the blocks you'll see:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
^^
||
||
||
There is a vine in
this brick block!
Is this fun or what?

+----++----++----++----++----+
|. .||. .||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|. .||. .||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----------+ ^^ ^^
| | | | | || ||
| | | | | || ||
+----------+ \\ //
| | \\ //
| | \\//
| | \/
| | ||
| | Invisible blocks
| | that contain coins.
| |
_________|____|__________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is much easier to do if you're big; just break a brick near the vine and
you should be OK. If you're small, you have to try doing that "Arc Jump" move
listed in section 6b. Luigi shouldn't have much of a problem however. Also,
beware if you scroll too far to the right, the vine will disappear and you
can't get to it!

Once you get up the vine, you will be taken to a "coin heaven" with tons of
coins. Try to get as many as possible.

When you're done, you will end up in an area with four ? Blocks. (You'll end up
in the same area if you didn't get the vine.) Get the last three if you want
coins. Avoid the first one though; it has a Poison Mushroom!

Go to the right, and you will see ANOTHER green springboard! Jump on it. If you
got all the coins in 1-3 or warped to this level, move to the right until you
think you're above three high blocks. Once you're here, jump on the third block
to get a 1-UP Mushroom (thanks to B. Youn for this):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|. .| <------------Invisible block with a 1-Up Mushroom.
|. .|
+----+

+----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/| <---------The easiest way to reach these high blocks is to
|/ \||/ \||/ \| use the green springboard.
+----++----++----+

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the 1-UP Mushroom didn't appear, then you didn't get all the coins in 1-3 or
you didn't warp to this level.

Now avoid the green Paratroopas and be careful to avoid the Goombas on the
staircase at the end. Your best bet is to wait for them to come all the way
down.

Now get the flagpole to end this level!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 2-2 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

Yes, this level can get frustrating. Start out by dodging the Koopas, Goombas,
and Piranha Plants. Then jump to the staircase and jump to the next pipe. Go
right some more, and you will see a difficult jump (if you're Mario). If you
ARE Mario, which you shouldn't be, run and jump to the lone block, and
immediately jump to the next staircase. Alternately, just make a running jump
past that lone block. Luigi will have an easier time, as he doesn't need to
jump immediately.

Now jump on the pipe and go right some more. If you are making a long jump
(which you probably are, make sure not to run into the Goombas. Avoid the
Paratroopa, and move right more. Jump below the brick block (Luigi has a hard
time landing!) Hit the block for a Starman. Kill as many enemies as you can and
get as many coins as you can too. Now, if you went all the way right, you will
see a pipe (with a Piranha Plant) and two brick blocks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|_|__| <-----------Brick Block containing a power-up
|__|_| (Mushroom/Fire Flower)
+----+

Bonus Room #1
||||
|||| +----+
|||| |_|__| <--------Multiple Coin Block
|||| |__|_|
VVVV +----+
+----------+
| | | | |
| | | | |
+----------+
| | +----+
| | |\__/|
| | |/ \|
| | +----+
| | +----+
| | |\__/|
| | |/ \|
___|____|_____________________+----+

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simply put, get the power-up if you need one, and if you need another, go down
the pipe (Bonus Room #1). And get as many coins as you need.

Either way, you will end up in the place right after the pipe, and you should
have a Fire Flower by now.

Now this part is tricky. There seems to be no way to get on top of that really
high pipe, but you can get up there with either character. There are two hidden
blocks you must find:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|. .|
|. .|
+----+
-+
/|
/
/
/
/
/
/
/ +----+
Two invisible blocks /-------------> |. .|
with coins can be found here. |. .|
Use these to get to the high pipe. +----+

+----------+
| | | | |
| | | | |
+----------+
| |
| |
| |
___|____|_____________________________________________
| |
| |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you find the first block above, jump on it and find the second one. Mario
will have a tougher time here, because he needs to perform a running jump. Then
stand on the edge of the first one to get the second one. Jump on the second
one, and jump to the high pipe once the Piranha Plant gets out of the way. Then
jump to the right and get rid of the Koopas if possible. Get the coins next,
and go further to the right. Get past the Piranha Plant and Goombas. Make a
running jump to the set of three blocks, and then carefully jump to the right.
You will see a staircase with Goombas on it. These are hard to dodge, and there
is an annoying block somewhere above the staircase to make it even harder. Then
once you dodge them, touch the Flagpole to clear the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 2-3 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

Remember 2-3 and 7-3 in the original Super Mario Bros.? Well, this level is a
lot like those levels, only even harder (only slightly though -- wait until you
see 6-3, A-3, and C-2 in this game!). I hated those levels. If you've never
played those levels, they're full of jumping Cheep Cheeps.

First, jump to the bridge and avoid the three Koopas. Keep jumping to the
right, and you'll eventually see the jumping Cheep Cheeps! Avoid them at all
costs! The trick is to always run to the right, but if a Cheep Cheep is about
to hit you, turn back immediately! This is easier with Mario than with Luigi.
Or, if you feel the need to, you can jump on them to get rid of them. Dodging
them is a better move however. Eventually, you will find four ? Blocks. (I told
you it was different!) The first one in the top row contains a power-up; the
others have coins. Next, you'll see another of those annoying flying Bloopers.
Combine with the Cheep Cheep, and this level is really an annoyance. Get past
it, and then jump on the trees. Then jump on the short bridges while avoiding
the green Koopa Paratroopa (which fly horizontally this time, rather than
bouncing). Jump on the trees after that.

Then jump on the short bridge and the long bridge, avoiding the green Koopa
Paratroopa. Get the coins if you want, and make sure to avoid the red Koopa.
Then jump on the next tree. You'll notice that the Cheep Cheeps will stop
flying at this point. (Whew!) Then jump on the next tree and then the flagpole
to end this dang level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 2-4 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

Not surprisingly, but annoyingly, this is another castle level. It's a hard one
too. Get rid of the blue Koopa (yes, it's blue, but it acts like green ones)
and kick it off, preferably to the right. If done correctly, the gray (yes,
gray) Goombas will be run over by the Koopa shell. Now this is a hard jump. My
strategy, for both characters, is to make a running ducking jump off the ledge.
Of course, if you're small, ducking is not necessary. Why do I prefer this over
simply falling down? Because if you jump, you'll have enough momentum to make
it below. And ducking is necessary to fit in the space easier. Once you
practice this part, you'll get the hang of it.

Now that you're past that, jump on the first blue Koopa Troopa you see here and
kick it to the right. This will get rid of all the other Koopas. Now you'll see
a Firebar right before a large pit of lava. Luigi will have an easier time with
this, although Mario can do this too. For Luigi, simply gather enough speed to
jump over both the Firebar and the pit. For Mario, jump on the Firebar at the
right time, and immediately jump over the pit (while holding B).

Go up the staircase here. Then, fall down the small gap. Here, run as fast as
you can over the lava pits and pray the Podoboo won't hit you from the first
pit. (An easy way to do this is to run while the Podoboo is in the air.) Also,
if you're big, make sure you won't get hit by the Firebar.

Here, wait for the Firebar above you gets out of the way, and jump to the
right. Jump over the lava pit and make sure not to hit either the Podoboo or
the Firebar on the next platform. Now jump on the block that the Firebar is
rotating in (at the right time of course), and jump on the bricks suspended in
mid-air. Now jump on the next Firebar block (once again, at the right time),
and jump over the small lava pit. Then jump over both lava pits. Beware: they
have Podoboos in them.

Now here he is: Bowser! There are tons of bricks this time, so jumping OVER him
isn't the best idea here, even with the lift. Instead, stand a distance from
him (to dodge his fire) and wait for him to jump. With good reflexes, run under
him and stomp the axe!

Or if you're Fiery Mario/Luigi, simply throw five fireballs at him. His decoy
is a Koopa Troopa (thanks to icedbubbleblade2000 for this).

You will see Toad, once again, say: "Thank you Mario! But our Princess is in
another castle!" Or he will obviously say "Luigi" if you ARE Luigi.
Satisfaction? I think so.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------- Warp Zones: 1
- World 3-1 - Difficulty: 5/10
------------- Recommended Character: Mario

A hard level, but not the hardest yet. You will first see two Hammer Brothers.
I think these are the first you've seen in the game. They throw hammers in an
arc formation. You can throw Fireballs at Hammer Brothers or jump on them. Or
better yet, hitting them from below when they're on a brick block above you
will work too. Once you get rid of them, hit the fifth to last block in the
bottom row to get a Starman. Once you get it, jump over the pit and kill the
Koopas. Get the first three blocks if you want coins, and avoid the fourth one,
as it has a Poison Mushroom (although, if you still have the Starman, it
doesn't matter...).

Now if you're in need of a power-up, get the first ? Block in the top row of ?
Blocks. If it's a Mushroom, it will be hard to get. There are three ways to get
it: 1) Hit the second ? Block at the right time to make it move to the left,
then chase after it quickly, 2) Perform an arc jump and chase after it going to
the right, or 3) Wait for the Mushroom to fall, and try to catch it over the
pit. Once you get your power-up, go to the right.

Dodge the red Koopas, and jump and avoid the Piranha Plant. And do NOT go down
the pipe unless you want to go back to World 1-1! You will regret it! Instead,
just go right some more. Avoid more Koopa Troopas and Koopa Paratroopas and
jump over to the right once more. You will see a Bullet Bill cannon (it
launches Bullet Bills) and three green Koopas. Avoid all of them, and get the
first ? Block for a power-up. You can also get the other blocks for coins. Jump
over the double Bullet Bill cannon, and you will see a red Koopa Paratroopa if
you didn't kill the previous enemies. Above it is a hidden 1-UP. It is hard to
bounce off the Paratroopa, and even harder to chase after the 1-UP. But just
bounce off it when it's high enough, and you should do it. And when it comes
down to the high pipe, and if you're big, your head should catch the 1-UP
Mushroom.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|. .|
|. .|
+----+
^
|
You will get a 1-UP Mushroom.

If you are big, try to "catch" the 1-UP Mushroom with
your head before it reaches here.
|
V
Bounce off +----------+
this Koopa | | | | |
Paratroopa. | | | | |
| +----------+
| | |
/\ V | |
/O| _ | |
| |__/ \ | |
|/ \ | | |
<| |/ | |
|___| | |
|_|_| | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
___________________________|____|___

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then, jump across the pipes...

If you go in the second pipe, you will go to Bonus Room #2, then, when you
finish, you will end up here:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||\__/|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ +----+
|| || || || || |\__/|
|| || || || || |/ \|
\\ \\ || // // +----+
\\ \\ || // // +----+
\\ \\ || // // |\__/|
\\ \\||// // |/ \|
---------------- +----+
|| +----+
Once you get the |\__/|
Mushroom, use it to |/ \|
break these blocks. +----+
+----++----+
|. .||\__/|
|. .||/ \|
+----++----+
^ +----+
| |\__/|
-------------------Hit this invisible block to
+----+ reveal a Mushroom; you NEED this
+----------+ +----+ if you are small.
| | | | | |\__/|
| | | | | |/ \|
+----------+ +----+
| | +----+
| | |\__/|
| | |/ \|
___|____|_____________________+----+

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go back to where you were before (seem familiar? The pipe took you backwards)
and jump across the pipes again. Eventually you'll see a green springboard;
jump on it if you wish and go to the flagpole. Do not go past the flagpole,
however, as you will end up warping to World 1-1 (again), and you probably
don't want to do that. Thankfully, there is a pit in that Warp Zone to commit
suicide (and it's placed in a spot where it can only be done on purpose) so
that if you DO accidentally end up here, just jump in the pit and start 3-1
again. Anyway, just go to the flagpole to end the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 3-2 - Difficulty: 5/10
-------------

Like in 1-2, you will see Mario/Luigi start out and enter the pipe. However,
this time, you are underwater and you get to swim.

The underwater levels in this game are more difficult than in the original.
Also, like the original SMB, ? Blocks never appear in these swimming levels.

You will see a swimming Blooper, which, by the way, WERE in the original SMB.
You cannot jump on any underwater enemy, so avoid it. Or if you have a Fire
Flower, then shoot a fireball at it. Swimming Bloopers act just like flying
ones.

Anyway, get rid of it, and swim to the right. You may or may not see Cheep
Cheeps, as they appear randomly on the screen. Red ones move faster than gray
ones do. Also, when you are above the pit, you will notice a current pushing
you. Try to resist it. Go to the right, and you may see more Cheep Cheeps; just
dodge them if they appear. Another Blooper appears. BTW, if you're on the ocean
floor, Bloopers will never hurt you, even if you aren't ducking. Go to the
right to see a "staircase", and swim to the right and try to get the coins.
Make sure you aren't affected by the suction cup.

Now go to the right some more, and avoid the Bloopers. You will see coral; this
acts as an obstacle. You have to swim above it. (Don't worry, it won't hurt
you.) Get the coins on the ground and watch out for... gasp... a swimming Koopa
Troopa! Koopas were never underwater in the original, and they certainly
weren't gray. You can't jump on it either, so the easiest way to counter it is
to use your handy fireballs if you have them. It's even tougher to avoid since
there is coral hanging on the ceiling blocking you. Jump over the next piece of
coral, and swim right some more. Watch out for Cheep Cheeps if necessary. Also
watch out for another suction cup.

Go to the right some more, and watch out for any more Cheep Cheeps. You will
eventually come across a red Koopa Paratroopa. These weren't in the original
either, and you can't jump on it. Dodge it like crazy, which is hard, because
of the wall right after it.

Now this part is difficult. Tons of coral will hang from the ceiling, and
Bloopers and Cheep Cheeps appear in the most inconvenient places. Not only
that, but more currents await you :P. If you get across, well, good luck. Go to
the right and avoid the red Koopa. A Blooper awaits here too. Swim to the right
once more, overcoming the currents and any Cheep Cheeps.

You will come across three platforms. The middle one is higher than the rest,
and the other two have some coral on it. Another Blooper is here as well. Try
to dodge it while going above or under the middle platform. Coins are below it,
so if you are close to another life, go for it... And go to the right more, and
you will see an almost-sealed platform. You may be trapped by Bloopers here, so
try to go above or below it.

Go to the right again, and you will see a rectangular platform. Under it, there
are lots of coins, but a red Koopa. This is more risky. Above it is a better
option unless you like coins. Now, at the end, go in the pipe to go above land
and touch the flagpole to end this long level. If you thought this was hard,
wait until you get to 6-2...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 3-3 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

This level has lots of hills, lifts, and pits. Be careful here. It has nice
graphics though: it looks like a wintry setting with icy and snowy trees. Don't
worry: the ice/snow isn't slippery.

You will see a high tree above you. If you're Mario, use a running jump to get
up here (which isn't hard, because you should be running anyway). You will see
tons of Koopas. Go on the platform below and stomp on the first one. Then kick
it to the right and run as fast as possible. Then jump right to the platform
below you. It will kick a lot of Koopas, and you will get a lot of points.

Now wait for the Koopa on the platform to the right to fall down, and dodge it.
Jump to the next platform, and wait for the Piranha Plant to get out of the
way. Jump on the scale lift, and raise the second half high enough so that you
can make it to the next platform.

Jump to the platform below you, and make sure you don't hit the Piranha Plant.
Do the same to the next platform. If you're a coin-collecting freak like me,
then jump on the green springboard (you can't miss it), make the screen scroll
to the right until the left of the high platform is on the left, and move left
all the way. Wait for Mario/Luigi to land on the platform, and collect all the
coins.

(Or, if you need a power-up, jump on the green springboard and move to the
right until you see a high tree. Jump while standing on the center of the tree,
and you will find an invisible block with a power-up in it!)

+----+
|. .| <--------- Invisible power-up here.
|. .|
+----+
____ ____
/ \ / \
/ ] ] || ] ] \
__/ \/ \__
|_ \___/ \___/ _|
\ _ _ /
\__/ \______/ \_/

----------------------
/ \
| |
|_||_||_||_||_||_||_||_|
| || |
| || |
\__/ \__/
/ \ / \
| || |
| || |
\__/ \__/
/ \ / \

Then jump on the collapsible lift to the right, wait, and immediately jump to
the high platform to the right. I believe both characters can do this. Fall
down to the scale lift to the right (or jump to it if you are on the lower
platform), collect the coin if you wish, and, like before, make the right side
high enough.

Jump to the platforms to the right, and get rid of the red Koopa Troopa. Wait
for the red Koopa Paratroopa to get out of the way, and then jump to the next
platform. Neither character has to bounce off this.

Make a running jump to the collapsible lift, and IMMEDIATELY jump to the next
one. Then immediately jump to the next platform. You will see some suspended
blocks. The easiest way to reach them is to reveal hidden coin blocks:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you find these blocks,
jump on them, then jump
over here. ------------
|| \
-------- \
|| || -----------|
VV VV V
+----++----+ +----+ +----++----+
|. .||. .| |\__/| |\__/||\__/|
|. .||. .| |/ \| |/ \||/ \|
+----++----+ +----+ +----++----+
^^ ^^
|| ||
\\ //
\\// ___ ___ ___ ___
\/ / _ \ / _ \ / _ \ / _ \
These are two invisible || || || || || || || ||
blocks with coins. ||_|| ||_|| ||_|| ||_||
\___/ \___/ \___/ \___/

(These are coins above,
and there are more to the
right. Also, there are
---------------------- pipes far below here.)
/ \
| |
|_||_||_||_||_||_||_||_|
| || |
| || |
\__/ \__/
/ \ / \
| || |
| || |
\__/ \__/
/ \ / \

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As shown in the ASCII art above, find the blocks and get to the block. The keep
jumping on the blocks as you progress to the right. Mario will have an easier
time with this than Luigi. Also, don't worry about the coins below you. I've
missed them once and STILL was able to get the 1-UP in World 4-1. If you're an
experienced player, you should get them though. (There are pipes below, and I
didn't diagram them.)

Anyway, whether you're on the two blocks or the pipe, make a running jump to
the platform to the right. Then make a running jump to the right to touch the
flagpole. You're done with this long level!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 3-4 - Difficulty: 5/10 **Maze Level!**
-------------

It's a castle... and it's a maze. Run as fast as you can down the staircase,
and the fun begins. Also, you should be small to do this. There is a Piranha
Plant later on. If you're big, run into it on purpose to shrink. Here's the
route you should take: (If you go the wrong way, the maze will repeat itself.
And each ASCII art is separated by a line)

Also, be warned, as there are many huge diagrams...

If you want to read at the end of the level, hit Ctrl+F, and type
(End of 3-4 maze)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__|
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__|
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__|
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_ /--------
| | | | / |
__|__|__|__| / __V___
/ | |
/ _|__|_
/ | |
/ __|__|
/ | |
--/ _|__|_
/| | |
/ | __|__|
/ | |
/ _|__|_
/ | |
Jump / __|__|
here / | |
/ _|__|_
------------------------------------------->-----/ | |
________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ __|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | __/ /___/ /___/ /___/ /_ | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_| |_|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || Lava Pit | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|| |__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________
| | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | |
________|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
Run right as fast as you can, | | | | | | | | | |
and fall down where the arrow __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
indicates. Either character | | | | | | | | | |
should be fast enough! _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
--------------------------->--- | | | | | | | | | |
______________________________ \ __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ \ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| \ | __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | \|
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ --\
| | | | | | | | | | \
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| \
| | | | | | | | | | \
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ \
| | | | | | | | | | \
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| \
| | | | | | | | | | \
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ \
| | | | | | | | | | \----------------------------->
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| _ _ _ ______________________________
| | | | | | | | | | __/ /___/ /___/ /_ | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_| |_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | || Lava Pit | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|| |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__| __________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__| If you are big, __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | you should hit | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|_ this Piranha _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | Plant to | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__| shrink. You __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | need to be
_|__|__|__|_ small for the
| | | | next part.
__|__|__|__| ------->------------
/ +----------+ \
/ | | | | | \ |
/ | | | | | \|
/ +----------+ --\
--/ | | \
/| | | \
/ | | | \
/ | | \
/ | | \
-->-- | | ------>--------------------->------
| |
_____________________|____|___________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

________________________
| | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | |
__________________________________________ __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|______________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

__________________
| | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|
Keep running this way. See why you need to be small? Well, even though you
can slide under when you're big, you won't be able to soon.
---------------->------------>------------------->------------------>-------->
______________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__________________________________________________________________ ______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ^ | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ ^ _|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| | __|__|
|
|
|
|
^
|
|
__________________________________________________________________ | ______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ | _|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| | __|__|
|
|
Podoboo
|
|
|
|
__________________________________________________________________ | ______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | V | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ | _|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| | __|__|
Once again, keep running. See why you need to be small? |
And watch out for the Podoboo that may sneak by! |
--------->--------->--------->--------->--------->--------->--------->--------
__________________________________________________________________ | ______
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ | _|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| V __|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

__________________ ______
| | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|_
| | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|

+----+
|. .|<--Mushroom
|. .|
__________________+----+______
| | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|_
| | | | | | | | ---------|
__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__| / V
/ +----------+
/ | | | | |
/ | | | | |
/ +----------+
/ | |
/ | |
/ | |
__________________ ______ / | |
| | | | | | | | / | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|_ --/ | |
| | | | | | | | /| | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__| / | | |
Jump / | |
/ | |
------------------------->------------ | |
________________________________________________ ___|____|___
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the Mushroom if you are able to reach high enough (I usually don't get it).
Then jump to the pipe...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/----| ---------------------------->
/ _V____ __________________________________________
/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
/ _|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
/ __|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
|
|
|
+----------+ +----------+ +----++----+
| | | | | | | | | | |. .||. .|
| | | | | | | | | | |. .||. .|
+----------+ +----------+ +----++----+
| | | | ^^ ^^
| | | | || ||
| | | | --------
| | | | ||
| | | | Hidden coin
| | | | blocks
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
___|____|___ ___|____|___ ________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jump to where the arrows are, and then run across the top... the ceiling is a
bit higher then what I diagrammed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------->------------>-
________________________ \
| | | | | | | | \
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ \ ---------->------------>------------>--->
| | | | | | | | \ /
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| \/
/| ____________________________________
/ | | | | | | | | | | | | |
/ | _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
/ \ | | | | | | | | | | | |
/ | __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
/ |
--/ |
/| |
/ | |
/ V
--------->-------- |
/ | ______________________________
| +----++----++----++----+ | | | | | | | | | | |
| |. .||. .||. .||. .| | _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| |. .||. .||. .||. .| | | | | | | | | | | |
| +----++----++----++----+ | __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ |
| || || || || V
| -------------------- |
| || |
| Hidden coin blocks |
| |
\ /
\-- /
|\ /
| -------<-------<---------

______________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This may be a bit confusing here, but you have to fall down and find four coin
blocks. Once you do, jump on them, and jump on the top ceiling. As you may have
noticed, you will go in a loop fashion. Also, if you haven't noticed, two of
the coin blocks are in the other diagram as well.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Run across the top. Plain and simple.
------------->----------------->-------------->----------->--------->-------->
____________________________________ ____________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | |
____________________________________ __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

________________________ ________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just jump up here and avoid the Firebar.
---------------------------------->----------------->--------------->--
/ ____________________________________________________________
--/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
/| _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
---- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
______ __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | ^^
_|__|_ ||
| | Firebar
__|__|______
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__|______
| | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| ____________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

__________________ __________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do I need to say anything?
------------------->--------------------------------------->------------------
______________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
^^
||
Firebar

______________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

______________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------->------
__________________ \
| | | | | | \
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ \
| | | | | | \
__|__|__|__|__|__| \
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\
\ |
__________________ \|
| | | | | | --\
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ \
| | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| |
^^ |
|| |
Firebar | Finally, the maze is over!
| Just fall down here, jump to
V the right, and Bowser appears!
|
|
|
|
|
|
__________________ _ _ _ __V_________ _ _ _ ____________
| | | | | | __/ /___/ /___/ /_ | | | | __/ /___/ /___/ /_ | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_| |_|__|__|__|_| |_|__|__|__|_
| | | | | || Lava Pit | | | | || Lava Pit | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|| |__|__|__|__|| |__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(End of 3-4 maze)

NOTE: There is a way to get to Bowser with Fiery Mario, but is somewhat
difficult. This is an E-Mail sent by an anonymous reader:

I know something that you haven't listed in your FAQ about Super Mario
Bros. 2 for the FDS in World 3-4. It is actually possible to get to Bowser
in that level with the ability to throw fireballs. In the area where you
said in the FAQ that you need to be small to get past, don't become small.
Run towards the small gap, and crouch to get under. Mario will move
through the brick, but here's something useful. If you crouch when you're
one block away from the gap above, Mario will slide past the opening and go
under the next long platform. Then if you crouch when one block from the
pit, Mario will slide across and not fall in. If you can't throw
fireballs, jump straight up from the last opening, and you'll see a fire
flower. You'd need to jump from the right edge of the platform to the one
above, then repeat it to get to the top. From there you can easily get the
fire flower. I have done this many times myself.

Again, this is useful, but it is difficult to do. One thing, though, that he
forgot to mention was that you're supposed to run before you crouch over the
pit, as opposed to letting Mario/Luigi slide on his own.

OK, time to fight Bowser. His decoy is a Buzzy Beetle, which is odd, because
usually Buzzy Beetles can't be hit with fireballs. Anyway. Since there are no
brick blocks here, you can jump over him easily -- just make sure he doesn't
jump as well. Or, you can stand away from the Podoboo that springs up, wait for
him to jump, and make a run for it! Or your third option is, if you got the
Mushroom somewhere at the beginning and made it here, just run into him, making
you invincible, and hit the Axe! You will see Toad again, saying the exact same
message as before. Sigh, haven't we had enough of him already?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 4-1 - Difficulty: 5/10
------------- Recommended Character: Luigi

When you start this level, you will be in for two surprises: Lakitu and RED
Piranha Plants. Lakitus, like in the last game, throw Spiny Eggs, which you can
only hit with fireballs. They then turn into Spinies, some of the most annoying
creatures. Red Piranha Plants are new to this game and they are similar to
green and blue ones, but they usually pop out of pipes even if you're standing
next to one.

Anyway, just jump over the first pipe, avoiding the Piranha Plant, and make
really sure to avoid Lakitu and the eggs it throws as well. This will take some
practice. There is a partial brick wall, and the second highest one brick block
contains a lot of coins. Jump over it or perform a ducking jump into the
crevice (if you want the coins). There is also a hidden coin block slightly to
the left of the wall if you need it. Next, avoid the next eggs and jump over
the next wall. Jump over the pipe afterwards. (You may want to wait for the red
Piranha Plant to disappear, then jump over the plant if it appears again).

Lakitu should disappear at this point, but he will reappear later. There are
seven ? Blocks; the first six contain coins and the last one contains a power
up. Use them as necessary.

Next, you'll stumble across a regular springboard. SMB veterans should know
about this. Make a running jump on the springboard, and press A when it is at
its lowest spot. Then move right across the water. If you're new to this game,
this will take practice.

When you make it over the water, Lakitu will appear again. Make sure you dodge
his every attack. There is also a staircase here. Jump over it, and if you got
all the coins in 3-3 or warped here, a 1-UP Mushroom can be found right after
the staircase:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|\__/|
|/ \|
+----+
+----++----+
|\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \|
+----++----+
+----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||. .| <---- Here is the afore-
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||. .| <---- mentioned 1-UP Mushroom.
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----+______

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go right some more, and you will see three ? Blocks. The third has a Poison
Mushroom, so make sure you avoid it. The other two blocks have coins, though.
Once you're done here, jump on the blocks and then to the pipe. Make sure you
avoid the red Piranha Plant. Run to the right, and you will see pipes and lots
of ? Blocks. The second one has a power-up; get it as needed. Also, the first
pipe leads you to an underwater area if you want to go in it. In the underwater
area, there are a few Bloopers and Buzzy Beetles (you can't use fireballs or
jump on them), but lots of coins. Get them if you want.

Once you get out, you will end up in a spot right after where you were before.
If you want lots of coins and are in need of lives, jump on the ? Block, and
then hit the brick block. A vine will appear, and it will take you to a coin
heaven with tons of coins. When you're done, you'll go backwards and end up
near the staircase. You can get to the coin heaven again. It is possible to get
multiple extra lives using this method. Just watch your time.

If you want to just finish the level, go right and jump over all the pipes. You
will see a staircase; watch out for the Goomba. Then, jump to the flagpole. If
you're concerned about getting 5000 points, and you're Mario, there are two
hidden coin blocks to find after the staircase. Find them (as seen below), and
jump back on top. Run as fast as you can on the top, and jump to the flag.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----+
|\__/||. .| <--
|/ \||. .| <--\
+----++----+ |
+----++----+ |
|\__/||\__/| |
|/ \||/ \| |
+----++----+ |--- Hidden coin
+----++----++----+ |--- blocks
|\__/||\__/||\__/| |
|/ \||/ \||/ \| |
+----++----++----+ |
+----++----++----++----++----+ |
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||. .| <--/
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||. .| <--
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/||\__/|
|/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+______

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You're finally finished with this level! Now let's try the next one...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 4-2 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

First, you'll see three Bullet Bill cannons. Try hard to avoid them. There is,
however, a power-up in between the first and second cannons. Use it to your
advantage. After the third, there is a brick block and two ? Blocks. The brick
block contains a Starman; the ? Blocks contain coins. You don't really need
this Starman, but get it if you need it.

Run to the right and get rid of the Buzzy Beetles. Then jump on the
springboard. If you are not invincible, get the Koopa Troopa and kick it. Watch
it go to the right and you might get 1-UPs (although I haven't tried this, but
it looks similar to 1-1). There is also a Lakitu, which is easy to deal with if
you have the Starman. Run to the right and dodge the enemies. Your
invincibility should wear off by now.

Anyway, you'll come across a high pipe. If you're Luigi, you can jump up it
easily. If you're Mario, it will be a bit tougher; do a running jump. You'll
see more Bullet Bill cannons and some ? Blocks (and sometimes red Koopas). The
first one is a power-up; the last one is a Poison Mushroom; the others are
coins. Also, you can jump on the blocks to simply dodge the cannons. Go to the
right more, and you'll see a brick block over a pit. Jump over it; but if you
can somehow get under the block, you can get lots of coins.

You'll see a Hammer Brother. Do your best to jump over it. You can also try
running under it when it jumps, but this requires good reflexes. Or, a Fire
Flower should get rid of it really easily. Here, you'll see a lot of solid
blocks. Jump ABOVE them. If you are under, you will be really sorry. Go to the
right, and you'll see a Hammer Brother. If you are above (which you should be),
wait for it go under you, and run. If you are below the blocks (and you
shouldn't be), hit one of the ? Blocks. This is difficult, thanks to the red
Piranha Plants. Or just throw a fireball at it (if you can). All of the ?
Blocks contain coins.

Next, jump to the right past the pipe and mini-wall. This part is a little
difficult. Jump on the first levitating block, then jump on the next one. Wait
for the green Koopa Paratroopa to get out of the way, and then jump on the next
set of two blocks. Then jump to the flagpole. (If you're Luigi, it is actually
possible to jump over the flagpole! If this happens, just jump back left; the
screen won't scroll any more to the right.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 4-3 - Difficulty: 7/10
-------------

Whoa! This is the hardest level so far, although not the hardest in the game.
It is full of dangerous jumps. First, run as fast as you can, and jump right at
the edge (while moving right). Luigi has a MUCH easier time with this than
Mario does. Next, jump on the springboard, and launch yourself onto the
collapsing lift. Immediately jump to the moving lift. You should worry about
jumping more than getting the coins. Then jump to the scale lift, and then the
next moving lift. Then jump to the tree.

You thought that was hard? Think again. This one you're about to experience is
much harder. Run on the tree, and jump right before you're at the ledge. You
may have to slow yourself down at the top of your jump. You'll see a red Koopa
Paratroopa; it is crucial that you bounce off it to get to the next tree.
Again, Luigi is better at this than Mario. (Also, the Paratroopa seems to be in
different altitudes each time, depending on how much time you spend on the tree
before it. With Mario, you should wait a second before jumping to make the
Paratroopa be at the right height; try moving as far right as you can without
falling off the tree so you can see the Paratroopa on the right side of the
screen. Luigi can jump anytime here.)

If you make it to the tree, congratulations. Now jump on the lift. You don't
need to worry about the springboard, even if you're worried about coins. The ?
Block contains a power-up; get it if you need to. If you want the coins, just
jump on the block, and jump again (Luigi is better at this). Jump on the same
lift again, and jump on the tree. Jump to the next tree. You just made it
halfway through the level.

Now try to make the screen scroll as far right as possible here. Bullet Bills
will start launching in random locations. Make sure it's in a position where
you know it won't interfere with your jumping here. If you feel it's the right
time, jump on the scale lift. Lower it to make the right side higher. Now jump
on the right side and jump on one of the trees, preferably the top one.

Jump on the collapsible lift (if you're on the high tree), then jump on to the
right immediately. Or if you're on the lower tree, then make a running jump to
the right. If you're Mario, you'll have to jump at the last split second; any
earlier and you will very likely fall into the pit. (The tree's big, so you'll
have enough room to run.) Go far enough to the right, and the Bullet Bills will
stop firing at you. Go close to the right end and stand near there, but don't
go all the way. Koopa Paratroopas aren't much of a threat here. Wait for the
second one to fly up, and run. Make a jump when you're at the end, and jump to
the block. IMMEDIATELY jump to the next one, then repeat the exact same thing.
This can be very difficult to pull off, and only practice will get you better.
If you do this correctly, you will make it to the flagpole! (And you thought
the end of the original SMB's 8-3 was hard...)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 4-4 - Difficulty: 6/10
-------------

This castle will really test your patience. Start out by running as fast as you
can down the steps. You'll see a giant Firebar revolving around some blocks,
and a red Koopa. The third block is a power-up; the rest are coins. If you want
it, hit the block and run to the right as fast as you can under the blocks.
Also, if you get a Mushroom, be aware that you will have to make a lot of
ducking jumps here. Anyway, go to the right and avoid the Goomba. Also avoid
the first Firebar. Run to the right as fast as you can after that and jump
immediately (if you're big, duck first!) You'll land on a platform with another
giant Firebar: move as fast as possible, and you won't be hit. Jump on the
vertical lift. Then jump to the right.

This part is easier than it looks. Wait for the blue Koopas to fall down (and
be as far left as possible). Then, stomp on one and use that to get rid of the
other Koopas. Once you're done with that, try to jump on the block with the
Firebar, and avoid it! Mario will have to do a running jump; Luigi can simply
stand on the corner and wait for the right time to jump. Then jump to the
right.

Here, jump on the falling lift, and wait until it gets to the near bottom. Jump
to the right. (If you're big, it's easier to duck first.) Here, first dodge the
Firebar. Then run to the right again, and you'll see a Hammer Brother! The best
strategy is to a running jump over him. Again, Luigi is better at this than
Mario, since he can make longer jumps. It's a good idea to be on the highest
platform. Stand on the pipe, and wait for the right time to run under (the best
time is when both Firebars are out of the way). When you run all the way to the
right, there are some hidden blocks:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________
| | | | +----++----+
_|__|__|__|_|. .||. .|
| | | ||. .||. .|
__|__|__|__|+----++----+____________
^^ ^^ | | | |
|| || _|__|__|__|_
Coin || | | | |
|| __|__|__|__|
Power-up | | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__|__|__|__|
| | | |
_|__|__|__|_
| | | |
__________________ __|__|__|__|
| | | | | | +----+ | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_|. .|_|__|__|__|_
| | | | | ||. .| | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|+----+__|__|__|__|
^^
||
Coin

__________________ _ ____________
| | | | | | __/ /_ | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_|Lava|_|__|__|__|_
| | | | | || Pit| | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|| |__|__|__|__|

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can only get the power-up if it's a Mushroom. You may need it though. Also,
at this point, you will see fire breath going towards you.

When you're on the bottom, watch out for Koopa Troopas. You can either jump
over them or kick one shell onto the others. If you trying to get the Mushroom,
you may want to rush and jump over them quickly.

At the end of this part, you'll see a pipe and some bricks suspended in the
lava. Also, try to catch the Mushroom as you are jumping. This is hard to do,
however, as you need to jump correctly, and you also need to dodge Bowser's
fire breath.

Anyway, if you make it to the platform, jump on the lift. Wait for it to go to
the right. If there is no fire in your way, jump on the solo block. If not,
then wait for it to go right again, and jump if you can. (Try not to wait too
long, because you may be running out of time.) Once you get to it, then jump on
the next platform, and then jump to the right (and try to avoid the Podoboo).
You will see Bowser again!

This one is hard because there is a Firebar rotating around the bridge, which
prevents you from running under him. Well, you can if you have good reflexes.
Wait for him to jump and run as quickly as you can, while dodging the Firebar!
Another strategy is to wait for him to walk far enough to the left so that you
can jump over him! If you make it, you will, as you have guessed, see Toad
again! Also, you will go to World 5-1.

This is only half the battle...

Bowser is really a Spiny (thanks to icedbubbleblade2000 for this).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------- Warp Zones: 6
- World 5-1 - Difficulty: 5/10
------------- Recommended Character: Mario

You will first be greeted by Buzzy Beetles. You can jump on the ? Blocks (which
have coins) and just jump over them to dodge them. Then you will see an upside-
down pipe with a red Piranha Plant; avoid it. Jump to the next platform. You
will now see a few narrow platforms and upside-down pipes above the gaps, also
with red Piranha Plants. Mario will have a much easier time dodging these than
Luigi will. With Mario, just run full speed without slowing down and jump each
time you get to a new platform. With Luigi, slowly jump to each platform and
wait for each plant to go back in its pipe. Then jump at the right time. Repeat.

Now dodge the Koopa Paratroopa and Bullet Bills. Go down the pipe right after
the Bullet Bill cannon. You will end up in Bonus Room #4; get the coins and
Mushroom/Fire Flower. (If you don't go down the pipe, you will just go through
a couple of pipes and three Goombas.)

You will end up right before a staircase. You will experience an odd surprise:
WIND! This is the first level with wind, and even SMB veterans will be
unfamiliar with wind, as it didn't exist in that game. Anyway, wind controls
your movement. It can help you or mess you up. Here, it will help you make
longer jumps. But, if you got all the coins in 4-3 or warped here, you can get
a 1-UP Mushroom. Just fall to the right of the stairs, and jump; first you will
see an invisible block with a coin. Then jump on that block and you will get
the 1-UP Mushroom! Then, when you did that, go back on the staircase, and make
a long jump for the next platform. The wind is very useful (well, at least it
is here). Then, as soon as you land, make another long jump. You will make the
next platform; jump again to finally make it to the next part of the level.

The wind will stop here. Jump over the easy-to-avoid Bullet Bill cannon. You
will see two pipes nearly touching each other. What you want to do here is
stand on the edge of the pipe; you will then only have to deal with the top
Piranha Plant. Run when it's up, and you will see more pipes with Piranha
Plants. These are pretty easy to avoid. You will soon see a green Koopa
Paratroopa; if you jump on it, kick it, and run fast enough, you can get one or
even two 1-UPs! Just watch out for the plants. Now, when you make it to the end
of the platform, stand a relatively long distance from the lone block. Run and
jump on top of the block, and immediately jump to the right towards the
partially-broken staircase. (Or, if you're Luigi, you can take your time after
you jumped on the lone block.) Jump to the right, and let the red Koopa
Paratroopas to help you across.

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 6 -----------------------------
----------------------------

If you want to get to World 6, and need a lot of coins, hit the right block on
the top row to open up a vine. If you're big, break a block so you can get to
the vine. Ride the cloud platform to get numerous coins. Fall off at the edge
and you will find a Warp Zone.

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 6 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

But if you didn't want to warp there, then continue right. Dodge the green
Paratroopas, and it seems that there is no way to get to the top. But don't
worry, there is. Near the wall, about three blocks away, jump and you will find
an invisible coin block. Then, jump on the coin block (if you're Mario, you
will have to run), and stand on the right edge. Jump. Another invisible coin
block will appear. Then, use these blocks to jump on the wall, jump over the
Piranha Plant-infested pipe (which is easy), and finish the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------- Warp Zones: 7, 8
- World 5-2 - Difficulty: 5/10
-------------

Nintendo apparently switched some of the worlds in this game. Before, in SMB,
World 4-2 was the second underground level. In this game, 5-2 is the second
underground level. And it does indeed have Warp Zones.

Anyway, you will fall down to a rocky ground. Avoiding the first upside-down
red Piranha Plant is very easy, but to avoid the second one, you have to wait
for it to go back up in its pipe. Then jump to the platform to the right.

You will see two red Koopa Troopa; get rid of them. You will also see six ?
Blocks; five contain coins, but the second-to-last one contains a Poison
Mushroom (a.k.a. "Don't Get It").

Go to the right and go under the bricks right to the pipe if you need a
Mushroom/Fire Flower. It's on the first column of lone bricks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----++----+
^^ +----++----++----+
|| |_|__||_|__||_|__|
|| |__|_||__|_||__|_|
Get the Mushroom +----++----++----+
+----------+ (or Fire Flower) +----++----++----+
| | | | | here. |_|__||_|__||_|__|
| | | | | |__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----------+ +----++----++----+
| |
| |
| |
___| |_______________________________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's a Mushroom, you will have to chase it down. Running over the one-block-
wide gaps isn't difficult, as long as you run. Also, if you need a Starman, you
can get one by hitting the last brick in the really long row. Keep running into
enemies like crazy. Jump over the pit at the end. Get the block on the left if
you need coins. There is also a warp to World 8 if you want to skip a bunch of
worlds (useful for beginners).

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 8 -----------------------------
----------------------------

This warp is hard to get to, but when you get to it, you will be joyful as you
skip part of World 5, and all of Worlds 6 and 7. Anyway, here's what you do.
Jump on the first lift when it's really low, and hit the block on the very
right. If you did this, a vine will come up. Climb it. This part is easier; it
has a bunch of trees, and the only obstacle is the pit. No enemies. There are
also tons of coins.

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 8 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

OK, if you didn't want to do that, then jump on each lift to the right. You
have two options: warping to World 7-1 or simply beating the level. Which do
you want to do?

----------------------------
----------------------------- Warping to World 7 -----------------------------
----------------------------

To warp to World 7, first jump on the first lift. Watch the second lift very
carefully. When you suspect a new lift coming from the top, jump immediately.
Next, jump to the next one immediately, then jump on top of the ceiling. Now,
run, and make sure to jump when you're about to see the pipe -- if you forget
to jump, you're stuck with either losing a life or simply beating this level.
Anyway, simply keep running and you will make it. Welcome to Warp Zone!

--------------------------------
--------------------------- End of Warp to World 7 ---------------------------
--------------------------------

OK, so maybe you decided not to warp at all and beat this level just so you can
see World 9. In that case, then jump on the lifts, as usual, but this time, go
BELOW the ceiling (which is much easier). Get the coins, and wait for the
Piranha Plant on the right to appear (no, not a typo). Jump to the pipe, and by
the time you get there, it will have disappeared. Then, jump again to the large
pipe. Your jump will most likely be cut off by the pipe, and you will land on
the brick platform directly below you. If you survived (which is easy), then
stand on this brick block, and walk slowly to the left until part of your foot
hangs from the edge (don't go too far or you'll fall off). Wait for the red
Piranha Plant to disappear, and make a run for it. Go in the pipe and finish
the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 5-3 - Difficulty: 8/10
-------------

Ouch. This may be the hardest level yet in this game. First start out by
jumping on the lift. It will move to the right; dodge the red Piranha Plant.
When you see two Koopa Paratroopas, get off the lift and stand on the tree
between the two pipes. What you want to do here is to bounce off of both red
Paratroopas when they are at their highest point to get to that high pipe.
Also, make sure you land on the block next to the pipe, rather than on the pipe
itself, as there is a red Piranha Plant. Wait for it to disappear, and go in
the pipe. (By the way, if you decided to go further right and skip the
Paratroopas, you will just see a Blooper and a couple of platforms; survive and
you will loop back to the near beginning of the level. The last tree platform,
though, has a Mushroom on the right of it.)

You will now enter a cave with numerous coins, no enemies, and a coin block at
the end (Bonus Room #5). To get the coin block, you have to be big; break the
last block before the pipe and then jump to get the coins. Enter the pipe and
you will end up in another part of the level.

This part is hard. Jump to the tree and the pipe afterwards, avoiding the red
Piranha Plant. Make sure to avoid Bullet Bills as well; they seem to fire in
the most inopportune places and at the most inopportune times. Next, jump on
the scale lift and wait for a split second to jump on the next one. If you're
picky on coins, let the second one fall until you get the coin, and make a
running jump on the high tree. You can also go on the lower tree, but you won't
get the coins. Either way, you'll also have to deal with another flying pink
Blooper; jump on it or use a fireball. When you're done with that, jump to the
next horizontally-moving lift, making sure no Bullet Bills interfere with your
jump.

Now what you're supposed to do here, which is similar to what you did at the
beginning of the level, is to bounce off the red Paratroopa to get on that high
tree. This is tough, as the lift as to be all the way to the right, Bullet
Bills tend to get in your way, and you also have to wait for the red Paratroopa
to be at a reasonable height. Don't jump when it's too low or your bounce won't
be high enough to get to the tree; don't jump when it's too high or you won't
even make the Koopa.

If you make it to the tree, then jump on the lifts that collapse very quickly.
Since they sink quickly, you'll want to rush your jumps. Jump on the tree;
you'll notice Bullet Bills will stop appearing for once. Next, jump on the
scale lift. Get the coins if you want them, and then jump on the next lift.
Again, get the coins if you need them, then jump on the suspended blocks. Stand
on the left and make a running jump to finish this really hard level. (By the
way, if you thought this was hard, wait until you see 7-2...)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 5-4 - Difficulty: 8/10
-------------

Another difficult castle level. Castles will never get any easier; only harder.
Start out by running left, then run right as fast as you can. You will end up
on the second island, and then immediately jump. You will make it to the next
island.

This part reminds me of the beginning of 7-4 in the original: it has a
collapsing lift and as well as Podoboos. My method of approaching this is to
rush the jumps without stopping; the Podoboos won't hit you as easily and you
won't have to deal with the lift knocking you into the lava. Now you'll see a
bunch of Firebars; the first two are easy to avoid, but if you like Mushrooms
(or Fire Flowers), the third one can be a pain in the neck, especially with its
ridiculous speed. The power-up, if you didn't know, is in the brick block right
above the third Firebar. To get the power-up, first stand on the brick block
and wait for it to point up and to the left and stand on the block it is
rotating on. Hit the block, and IMMEDIATELY jump on the top to get the
Mushroom/Fire Flower. This is hard to pull off, but is worth it. Next jump on
the suspended platform with the fourth Firebar, and jump to the two narrow
islands (this is difficult with Luigi).

Jump to the next platform, while carefully avoiding the Firebar. Stand on the
left here, and wait for it to get out of the way. Then, run, and jump when
you're at the end of the platform to get to that high platform. If you're big,
MAKE SURE YOU DUCK BEFORE JUMPING. If you forget to duck, your head will hit
the ceiling, which will severely cut off your jump and you will land in the
lava.

But if you made it, run to the right, but slow down at the end. Wait for the
Firebar on the next platform to get out of the way, and fall to the left side
of it. Jump over it when it's about to point upward, and stay to the right of
the platform. Don't take too much time here, though, as you're still vulnerable
to the Firebar. Next, jump to the floating platform.

Here, jump from platform to platform. Make sure to take your time here,
especially if you're Luigi, since the brick platforms are narrow. You don't
need to rush here anyway since there are no enemies here except for the lava
and a couple of Podoboos, which are easy to avoid. On the last platform, jump
to the right, while carefully avoiding the Firebar. When you make it, always
duck when the Firebar is about to hit you. Fall down to the platform below, and
walk to the right while avoiding the two Firebars. Stand on the edge, and jump
while moving left; you will end up on the platform above. Jump on the next
suspended platform while avoiding the Firebar (with Luigi, ducking helps before
jumping here), and keep jumping on every platform you see. The third one has a
giant Firebar, so it is very difficult to get past this without getting hit.
(Remember the Mushroom at the near beginning? I told you it was useful.)

After the very long platform, jump on the lower platform if you're small, or
the upper one if you're big. On the lower one, just simply run to the right; if
you're small, you won't get hit. Ever. (Unless you jump, which you shouldn't be
doing.) On the upper one, you can run as well, but just be more careful about
the Firebars.

All right. I hate this part. It has both a Podoboo and Bowser. Obviously, don't
stand near the Podoboo. Bowser still breaths fire, so you'll really have to
time this one well. I usually stand to the right of the Podoboo and wait for
Bowser to jump. Then run under him and hit the axe! You'll see Toad again.

And this time, Bowser's decoy is a Lakitu (again, thanks to icedbubbleblade2000
for this).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 6-1 - Difficulty: 6/10
------------- Recommended Character: Mario

Well, this level is weird. First you'll see a chamber with a Buzzy Beetle on
it. The first block contains a power-up. To get it while small, bump the
Mushroom past the chamber and let it fall towards you. The next chamber has a
green Paratroopa. The right block contains a Starman, and, if you make it
above this chamber, you will find a hidden 1-UP Mushroom above the middle block
in the pit (as long as you warped here or got all coins in 5-3):

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+ +----+ +----+
|\__/| |. .| |\__/|
|/ \| |. .| |/ \|
+----+ +----+ +----+
+----+ ^^ +----+
|\__/| || |\__/|
|/ \| 1-UP Mushroom |/ \|
+----+ +----+
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
|\__/| |\__/| |\__/| |\__/|
|/ \| |/ \| |/ \| |/ \|
+----+ +----+ +----+ +----+
+----++----++----++----++----+ +----++----++----++----++----+
|\__/||. .||_|__||_|__||\__/| |\__/||_|__||_|__||. .||\__/|
|/ \||. .||__|_||__|_||/ \| |/ \||__|_||__|_||. .||/ \|
+----++----++----++----++----+ +----++----++----++----++----+
^^ ^^
|| ||
Mushroom Starman
or
Fire Flower

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can use this Starman to defeat every enemy here. Just run and don't stop.
After you get to the Hammer Brother, your Starman will have probably run off by
now. You will find a very high pipe, and there doesn't seem to be any way to
get up. However, stand right next to the pipe, and jump to find an invisible
coin block. Jump on this block and then to the pipe to get past the pipe. Also
watch out for the red Piranha Plant.

Next you'll see a Bullet Bill cannon. To get across here as Mario, you'll have
to make a running jump onto the cannon, and immediately jump afterwards above
the staircase. Luigi can simply jump over it.

Now, watch out for two Piranha Plants and a Hammer Brother. Usually, running
non-stop will do the trick. If the Hammer Brother is on top of the bricks, it
isn't a threat; keep running. If it's on your level, you have two options. You
can stop and hope you won't run into it, which is difficult with Luigi due to
his bad traction. Or, you can jump over it, which is usually the better option,
because you'll rarely get hit by his hammers anyway.

This is a weird part of the level. There are 17 ? Blocks all in a row above a
bunch of brick blocks. The fourth block has a power-up, but you can only get it
as a Mushroom as far as I know, since it's impossible to jump above the row of
blocks. The fifth to last block contains a Poison Mushroom, which you'll want
to avoid, especially if you're after the Mushroom earlier. (Don't forget that
two power-ups can't be on the screen at the same time.) The rest contain coins.

Anyway, you'll also notice an upside-down pipe right above a right-side-up
pipe, both with red Piranha Plants. Run when they're both out of the way, and
try to the Mushroom falling from the row of ? Blocks afterwards.

Here, you can take two options: take a pipe underwater or jump on numerous
collapsible lifts above the water with the wind blowing on you. The pipe is
difficult to reach since there are blocks above the pipe, and you need to do a
descending arc jump to reach it, and with the wind, it's easy to fall in the
water (and even if you do make it, you're likely to hit the plant). The lifts
are also difficult, due to the fact that they fall quickly and are small, and
that the wind only makes things more difficult. I prefer going down the pipe,
and there's a glitch that makes it easy to reach as well. Simply stand on any
portion of the staircase with the wind blowing, and wait for the Piranha Plant
to almost disappear. Now, the fun part: repeatedly tap Left on the Control Pad
while walking (don't press B) to be blown through the blocks. If you aren't
pulled into the staircase at all, you are tapping too fast; if you start to be
pulled into the staircase, but you end up being pushed back out, you are
tapping too slowly. If you tap at the right speed, you will be pushed through
the staircase! Now enter the pipe before the wind pushes you further!

---Option #1---

Now you will be underwater. This isn't as difficult as other levels that are
completely underwater, since there are not many water currents or Bloopers.
There aren't any Cheep Cheeps, either. Anyway, swim and get the coins, and then
swim under the almost-sealed box. Get the coins above if you want; just watch
out for the Blooper. You can also get the coins below, which is easier. Now,
wait for the elevator to get out of the way, and get more coins after that;
don't stop pressing A or you will fall down the bottom. Also, don't bother with
getting above to the top of the level here; the lifts make it too difficult.
Next, swim above the coral and past the red Paratroopa while making sure not to
jump on it. Here, go through the pipe.

---Option #2---

If you decided not to take the water route, and took the lift route instead,
this will be more difficult. First jump on the first lift, and immediately jump
to the next lift. You may have to slow down your jump at the end, since the
wind will most likely push you too far. Then immediately jump past the partial
staircase.

This part is even more difficult. There is a pipe with a Piranha Plant in it,
plus there is a moving lift. You have to time your jump so that you won't hit
the Piranha Plant, and that you'll make it to the lift without skidding off of
it. Then, you'll need to immediately jump to the right again past the next
Piranha Plant so you won't lose momentum. This will take considerable practice,
which is why I like the water route better. It's even harder if you're Luigi,
since he has a skidding problem. The wind will stop after this though.

---Re-Joined---

You are almost at the end of the level. Move right so that you'll see two
Piranha Plants, and time your jump so that you'll won't hit either plant. It's
easy when both plants have just entered their pipes. Ducking while jumping will
help make it easier here.

Now this part is simple: simply jump over the Piranha Plants and you're done
with this level!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 6-2 - Difficulty: 8/10
-------------

World 6-1 was likely the last level that wasn't frustratingly difficult. This
is a water level and is harder than 3-2. This level has strong currents that
push you in the most inconvenient spots of the level, and Cheep Cheeps will
usually happen to be in those spots to make things harder.

You will start by swimming past some Bloopers. It starts difficult when there
are two long pieces of coral that you have to swerve past; you have to swim
over the first one and under the second one. Usually, a Blooper appears when
you're trying to do this, and since there is little space between the pieces of
coral, you're likely to hit it.

Now swim under all the other pieces of coral, while avoiding the Bloopers and
any Cheep Cheeps. Swim past the long box with two coins in it; it's hard to get
in there without swimming into a Blooper following you around and is not worth
it. Simply go to the right and wait for the lifts to get out of the way (they
can push you into the bottom easily) while trying to withstand the current.
When you go right, you have to survive the lifts again, except that this one is
harder because there is a long piece of coral just to the left of the lifts,
which make it easy to be trapped. Also, the space to the right is rather
narrow, so you have to time it well.

When you get past that, you will end up having to swim between many pieces of
coral, leaving you little room to dodge Bloopers and Cheep Cheeps, which appear
often here. And, the current pushing you downward certainly doesn't help
either, so you'll have to press A fast to get past here. The part afterwards is
easier, and you can even get ten coins. The gray Koopa Paratroopa isn't too
hard to avoid, either, even if you're after the coins.

Now, you can either get the coins below and hope that you won't fall down the
bottom, or try to avoid the Koopa above. Either way, the downward lifts are
back, although they're not as difficult as the pair before. Go to the right of
either one and go into one of the passages; I prefer the bottom since it's
larger. After this, try to swim past the Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers, which is
somewhat difficult thanks to the currents slowing you down. Now go in the pipe
and finish the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 6-3 - Difficulty: 9/10
-------------

Remember World 7-3 from the original Super Mario Bros.? Well, this level's a
lot like it, only much, much harder. And since 7-3 from the original was
difficult to begin with, this level is absolutely infuriating. (Although, it is
nothing compared to C-2...) It's even harder with Luigi, since there are small
platforms and Luigi has poor traction. Also, he's too slow to run away from
Cheep Cheeps (and his traction problem makes it difficult to turn backwards
when he's about to run into one). However, if you're interested in the 1-UP in
7-1, Luigi is better at getting coins in this level, but I'm more worried about
beating this level than getting the 1-UP in 7-1.

Anyway, like in other Cheep Cheep-infested levels, a good way to dodge Cheep
Cheeps is to run as fast as you can, because most of the time, Cheep Cheeps
will end up being behind you (although they sometimes can be on top of you, in
which case you should stop).

Start by running and jumping to the staircase, then jumping to the bridge.
Cheep Cheeps will appear now. Keep running, get the coins if you're worried
about the 1-UP in 7-1, and then jump to the next bridge. Watch out for the red
Koopa and jump over it at the right time, and jump to the right again. You'll
see a hovering green Paratroopa, much like in the original 7-3. Just run under
it, and then jump to the skinny floating broken bridge. Since you're probably
running at full speed, Luigi will have a hard time staying on the bridges. Then
jump on the next few broken bridges, which are even skinnier than the first one
(I told you Luigi was a bad idea here...).

Now you'll see a red Koopa Paratroopa flying under a ? Block. Bounce off of it
to be knocked up under the block, and you will get a Mushroom (or Fire
Flower...) It's somewhat difficult to reach it if you haven't done this level
before. Also, try not to waste too much time getting the Mushroom, as a Cheep
Cheep will likely hit you. Run to the right onto another unbroken bridge, and
try to stay away from the Koopas. There are both red Koopa Troopas and green
Koopa Paratroopas here. You'll have to jump over the red ones, but try not to
hit the green one in the process. Also, don't forget the Cheep Cheeps.

You'll come across a brick block with a Mushroom/Fire Flower as you jump on the
large tree. Again, don't waste too much time getting this, as both the red
Koopa and the Cheep Cheeps can hit you. Next, jump on the skinny tree
afterwards, and jump on another broken bridge. On the third broken one, there
is a green Paratroopa above it; avoid it at all costs. Jump on the next broken
bridges, then an unbroken one, and finally a broken one.

There is a red Koopa Paratroopa followed by a tall tree. Bounce off the
Paratroopa to get here, and make sure to run before jumping. (As much as I
recommend Mario in this level, Luigi is actually better for this part alone,
but Mario shouldn't have too hard of a time here.) You'll also notice that the
Cheep Cheeps will stop jumping. Here, this is easy: just jump to tree after
tree, and bounce off the red Paratroopa if you want 5000 points on the
flagpole.

Yes, you're finally done with this level. However, there's still 6-4 to worry
about...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 6-4 - Difficulty: 8/10 **Maze Level!**
-------------

This is both a maze and a difficult level. In Super Mario Bros., the mazes were
easy because they had very few enemies. What happened to those? Oh well. This
IS a more difficult game, after all.

First start out by making a running jump to the suspended bricks and then
immediately jump again. Then jump over the Piranha Plant and stay just to the
right of it. Wait for the very long Firebar to get out of the way, and then run
UNDER the row of bricks as fast as possible. Next, jump over the lava pit, wait
for the Piranha Plant to go up its pipe, and run without stopping. When you see
a Hammer Brother, jump immediately, and then jump above the highest row of
bricks without hitting the hammers and run. Make sure to slow down some time
after the tiny pit, because you'll run into a small Firebar if you don't. Now,
jump over the pipe, and run under the floating bricks attached to an upside
down pipe. Watch out for the Piranha Plants though.

Then, jump to the suspended platform, then immediately jump towards the lift.
Next, wait for both the lift to go to the right and the Firebar to the right to
get out of the way, and jump on its block. Immediately jump on one of the
easiest available descending lifts, and wait for it to almost be at the bottom.
Jump on the lowest passage to the right. Wait for a Podoboo to spring out of
the lava pit, and then run. Make sure to stop right after you crossed the pit,
however; you'll run into a large Firebar if you keep running. So, wait for it
to get out of the way, and, like at the beginning, run like the wind.
Afterwards, ignore the upside-down pipe.

Jump to the lift and try to avoid Bowser's fire breath while jumping. Stand on
the left of the lift, wait for it to go to the right, and make a running jump.
Hope Bowser's fire won't hit you. If it doesn't, jump on the wall, and then
Fall to the right to see Bowser.

This Bowser isn't as hard as other Bowsers in the past. Why? Because he throws
hammers instead of breathing fire! Hammers are easier to deal with because you
can stay close to Bowser without worrying about being hit by an attack near the
ground. There is a Podoboo, but it's not too much of a threat. Simply get
inside his arc of hammers, wait for him to jump, and run under him to get the
axe and see another Toad! Yes, he says the same boring message.

And if you somehow managed to get here with Fiery Mario or Luigi, you'll find
that his decoy is a Blooper.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 7-1 - Difficulty: 9/10
------------- Recommended Character: Luigi

This nighttime level can be frustrating. So many enemies and annoying wind...
anyway, start the level, and jump past the red Piranha Plants (which actually
isn't too hard). Then, let the wind pick up and help your jump past the large
pit.

This can be very, very hard, especially with Mario. Luigi will have an easier
time here; he can simply jump on the left edge of the first pipe do an arc jump
to get above the bricks, and run across. However, if you're Mario, or you want
a power-up, prepare to have a difficult time here.

First, jump on the first pipe, repeatedly pressing Left so the wind won't push
you off of the pipe. Next, you'll have to wait for two things: you'll want the
Koopa to be near the pipe you're standing on, and for the upside-down Piranha
Plant to get out of your way. Once this happens, make a run for it, wait for
the next Piranha Plant to get in its pipe, and jump to that pipe. If you stand
on the left of the pipe, you can get a power-up. If it's a Mushroom, run to the
right, and catch it in mid-air when it falls down (the next upside-down Piranha
Plant is easy to avoid). If it's a Fire Flower, break the next brick block,
jump and get it, and then run to the right.

The next part is easier... jump to the right, avoiding the Cheep Cheeps (which
isn't too hard). The block to the very right of the pipe has a Starman, so get
it if you want to be invincible. Keep running to the right and you'll see the
wind stopped.

You have two options: take the pipes, get lots of coins (and a chance at a
1-UP), and give up your Starman, or get a few coins out of ? Blocks, a power
up, and a 1-UP Mushroom.

---Option #1---

If you decide to enter the pipe, you'll have to entering it by jump on the red
Koopa Paratroopas, similar to what you did in 5-3. Also make sure that you
aren't invincible, otherwise you'll end up defeating the Paratroopas instead of
bouncing off of them. Once you do, enter the pipe to find Bonus Room #6 (many
coins, but also upside-down Piranha Plants). Then, you'll find another area
with wind, and a green Koopa Paratroopa. Jump on that, and while it's moving
right, run to the right. Interestingly, the wind will make you go as fast as
the Koopa, and it's possible to get a 1-UP from enough Goombas/Koopas. Just
watch out for the Bullet Bill cannon, jump over the pit, and enter the pipe.
You will be in Bonus Room #5 (many coins, but nothing else).

---Option #2---

Of course, you can always run to the right instead of bouncing off the red
Koopa Paratroopas. Note that there are Hammer Brothers, however. You may think
that since they run quickly towards you, they will be difficult to beat, but
these Hammer Brothers are actually easier to beat than other Hammer Brothers.
Stand on the very left of the screen so that the hammers won't affect you (this
is called the "Hammer Immunity" glitch in Section 8b: Glitches; it only works
in this game, not SMB), and wait for them to run towards you. Once they're
about to touch you, jump up and kill it (or if they're on a ? Block, hit that
block to defeat it). Or if you got the Starman, defeat them that way. You'll
find a Mushroom or Fire Flower here, and you can also get a 1-UP if you got all
coins from 6-3 or if you warped here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----++----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||. .||_|__||_|__||_|__||. .|
|__|_||. .||__|_||__|_||__|_||. .|
+----++----++----++----++----++----+
^^ ^^
|| ||
Power-up \\
Invisible 1-UP Mushroom

+----++----++----++----++----+
|. ?.||. ?.||. ?.||. ?.||. ?.|
|. .||. .||. .||. .||. .|
+----++----++----++----++----+
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
|| || || || ||
--------------------------
Coins

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1-UP Mushroom is easy to find by accident because you're likely to
accidentally hit it if you're trying to catch the Mushroom in mid-air. First,
let the Mushroom fall to the ground and get it there, THEN get the block with
the 1-UP Mushroom in it. Of course, it's easier to get as a Fire Flower; break
any block near it, and get it.

Then, after you do that, run to the pipe, and jump past the long pit.

---Re-Joined---

No matter which way you go, you will end up here. You'll find another pipe
(which you'll enter if you took the first option), a Piranha Plant, a Hammer
Brother, and a green Paratroopa. To get rid of the Hammer Brother, use the
glitch to stand on the left of the screen, similar to what you did before.
Everything else is easy to get past. Run to the right and jump over the Buzzy
Beetle. Stand on the block next to Bullet Bill cannon; it won't fire as long as
you're right next to it. Jump on it, then the two suspended blocks, and then to
the flagpole to finish this exasperating level...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 7-2 - Difficulty: 9/10
-------------

The beginning of this level is similar to that of 5-3... ride a lift, bounce
off of red Paratroopas, and get into a pipe or it the level will loop.

You may have guessed already... but first jump on the lift; it will move
horizontally. You will some across a snowy tree with a ? Block to the left of
it. It has a power-up in it, although it is near impossible to get as a Fire
Flower. Then you'll see two red Koopa Paratroopas and a pipe at the top, just
like in 5-3. Bounce off of them to get into the pipe. You will get to Bonus
Room #4. (If you miss the pipe from bouncing off of them, you can try again by
standing on the tree below, and going to the right. The level will loop
infinitely until you get into the pipe.)

OK, now that you're in Bonus Room #4, you can get all the coins, and make sure
to get the hidden power-up and coin blocks. When you're done, go out the pipe
on the right...

..and you'll see a Lakitu and a green Paratroopa. Get past those, and try to
jump on the Lakitu. Then you'll see two Firebars. Yes, it's unusual that you
would see these in a level like this, but time your jumps so that the block
you're going to jump to doesn't have a Firebar blocking you. Also, jump as
quickly as you can before you get hit by the one you're standing on. It's even
harder with Luigi because of his traction problem.

Once you get past that, you'll see some red Koopas, a green Paratroopa, and if
you got rid of Lakitu, another one is likely to show up here. Jump past these,
and you'll see a platform with another Firebar at the end. On this platform,
make sure to get rid of Lakitu, or you have a chance of experiencing a nasty
glitch later on...

To the right, you'll see a red Paratroopa. When that's high enough and the
Firebar is out of the way, bounce off of it and jump on the collapsing lifts to
the right. Quickly. Or you can skip the Paratroopa and make a running jump to
the first lift, then jump to the second one and then past that. Next you'll see
a regular platform, and there's another red Paratroopa and another lift.

Hopefully you got rid of Lakitu at this point, or there's a possibility that
either the Paratroopa or the lift is missing. If you're Luigi, it's still
possible to beat this level with the glitch, but it's much harder. If you're
Mario, you have no choice but to lose a life. If you're Luigi and the lift or
the Paratroopa is missing, make a running jump to the object that is not
missing. If it's a Paratroopa, wait until it is as high up as possible, make a
running jump, and bounce off of it to the high pipe. If it's the lift that's
still there, make a running jump towards that lift, and immediately jump
towards the pipe and hope you won't run into the Piranha Plant.

If there is no glitch, then move to the right until you see the pipe, as it
usually makes the Piranha Plant disappear, which is very tough to avoid. Then
bounce off the Paratroopa onto the lift, and immediately jump to the pipe. Then
jump to the flagpole to finish this level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 7-3 - Difficulty: 9/10
-------------

This level is very difficult (though not as difficult as C-3). It is full of
wind, tiny platforms, and green... er, blue springboards. As with Koopas and
Piranha Plants, green springboards are just like blue ones, the only difference
is the types of levels they're found in. Even the leaves in this level are blue
instead of green! And, just like 6-3 in the original Super Mario Bros., the
whole level is gray instead of brown, and the clouds are red!

Anyway. Run to the right, and the first thing you'll notice is the wind
accompanied by blue leaves. Then jump on the blue springboard and go to the
right. You'll notice another tree with a blue springboard on it; fall down and
jump on that too. (Tip: The easiest way to land on a skinny platform is to
gradually slow down by repeatedly tapping left. You'll usually land in the
center of the screen.) You'll then notice another tree with a blue springboard
with a blue Paratroopa floating above it; jump on that too. Soon you'll notice
a very skinny tree with another blue springboard. Jump on that when you fall
down and go to the right some more. You'll skip past a few pipes with red
Piranha Plants in them, which are easy to avoid because you're floating in
midair. Right after that is ANOTHER tree, slightly longer, and with ANOTHER
blue springboard.

Then, instead of another tree with a blue springboard, this time you'll see a
tree with a ? Block over it with a power-up in it, partially guarded with
blocks above that, but there's a falling lift to help you out as well. So move
to the right and make sure the lift doesn't go off the screen completely.
You'll fall on the blocks. Jump to the lift and keep moving left so the wind
won't push you off, and when it's as low as the tree, jump to the tree and get
the power-up. After that, run to the right past two long trees, and jump to the
pipe when the Piranha Plant is out of the way. Then jump to the blue
springboard, move right, and get on top of the tree that is stacked on a second
tree. (I don't advise getting the coins, because that is risky.)

Here, speed is important; if you can make a fast running jump towards the next
springboard, you can skip a lot of the Firebars. If you're too slow, it will be
harder, since there is wind, and the first few blocks with Firebars are one
block long. There isn't much to say besides replicate what you did in 7-2, but
go a bit faster since there is wind making it harder. If you were fast enough
in air, hold Right and don't stop. When you land, you only have to get past one
Firebar, which is easy since it is rotating around a long platform. Once you
get past that platform, you'll finish the level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 7-4 - Difficulty: 8/10
-------------

Thankfully, this level is easier than 7-2 or 7-3 (and with the exception of the
Bowser part at the end, definitely easier than C-4). But it's still difficult.
Start out by waiting for the Firebar to be pointing downward, and then jump to
the right. Keep running and fall down to the horizontally moving lift. It's
easy to do, as it will always be there when you fall down. Let it take you to
the right, and then run a bit more and avoid the Firebar. If you look
carefully, you'll find an invisible block with a Mushroom or Fire Flower in it!
It's right next to the large ceiling.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
| | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | | | | +----+
_|__|__|__|__|__|_|. .|
| | | | | ||. .|<-- Invisible block
__|__|__|__|__|__|+----+
| | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__|

________________________
| | | | | | | | +----+
_|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_|. .|<-- Firebar
| | | | | | | ||. .|
__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|+----+

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get the power-up and then jump on the invisible block. Then jump on each
downward-moving lift. Time your jumps carefully so that you'll make it on each
lift. If the next lift is a lot higher than the one you're on, you may need to
do a running jump to make it. When you're on the fifth one, wait for it to
almost hit the bottom of the screen, and then make a small jump to the tiny gap
to the right.

Go to the right, and when the Firebar is pointing upward, run to the left edge
and duck (if you're big). Right when it's out of the way, quickly jump to the
right, and immediately do a ducking jump to the right to avoid the Firebar
hitting you. This will be a bit harder with Luigi since he's slower, although
it's still possible.

Then, go to the right, and make a running, ducking (if you're big) jump past
the first small gap and onto the red Koopa. Get rid of it by kicking it or
using a fireball. Do the same thing to the second one, but be careful not to
hit the third Koopa if you're kicking it. Then, jump on that third Koopa if you
didn't accidentally get rid of it, and kick it to the right. Follow it to the
right as you watch it hit numerous Buzzy Beetles, and you'll get a 1-UP! This
makes this level easier than it could have been. However, make sure the red
Koopa doesn't ricochet and hit you. Now, jump on the next platform and look at
the Firebar.

This looks like it's impossible to avoid, but it's actually simple. Stand in
the bottom-left corner under the Firebar and, if you're big, duck, so it won't
hit you. Once it's out of the way, stand in the bottom-right corner and duck
again (if you need to). Once it's out of the way again, jump up, avoid the
Buzzy Beetles, and you'll find the exact same Firebar again, which is no harder
than the last one; do the same technique you did before to avoid this one.

Jump up again, and you'll see Bowser's fire breath start to appear. Avoid it
the best you can, and jump on the first suspended platform you see. Making sure
you're avoiding the Podoboo to the right of you and any fire breath, jump to
the smaller platform to the right, and then to the bigger one after that. The
next one is a bit tricky. There is a Firebar in the middle of the platform;
make sure it is out of the way, and then jump on the platform, hoping you won't
run into Bowser's fire breath. Jump as quickly as you can to the next platform;
you'll soon meet Bowser after this.

This Bowser is difficult if you don't have a Fire Flower handy. And it's
difficult to have one here, since there's only one power-up in this level.
Heck, it's harder than the Bowser in C-4, even though it is supposed to be a
harder version of this level! Like in 6-4, he throws hammers, so it's a good
idea to stay inside his arc of hammers and not attempt to jump over him. Well,
it WOULD be a good idea, if it weren't for the Firebar right near Bowser! So
you're forced to stay to the LEFT of his hammers. What you want to do here is
wait for him to stop throwing hammers, AND for the Firebar to be under the
bridge, AND for Bowser to be in mid-air! This is difficult to do, so you'll
need a lot of patience. If all three of these things happen at the same time,
make a run for it, and hope you won't get hit! Bowser's decoy this time is a
Hammer Brother, by the way (again, thanks to icedbubbleblade2000).

And is Toad getting annoying yet?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------- Warp Zones: 5
- World 8-1 - Difficulty: 9/10
------------- Recommended Character: Luigi

This whole world is HARD. It's simply the hardest of the first eight worlds,
with difficult jumps, numerous pits, wind, and many annoying enemies. This
level does have nice graphics though, with a wintry feel similar to 3-1 and
3-3.

Anyway, you'll start out by encountering one upside-down pipe and one right-
side-up pipe close to each other, with red Piranha Plants in them. Simply wait
for the one on the bottom pipe to get out of the way, and then jump over it.
Then, you'll see a Buzzy Beetle. Use it to get rid of the Goombas and Koopas
under the ? Blocks. All of these ? Blocks contain coins, except for the
seventh, which has a power-up, and the second-to-last, which contains a Poison
Mushroom. Make sure to get the seventh block, and avoid the second-to-last,
especially since Poison Mushrooms cancel out Mushrooms. After this, wait for
the green Koopa Paratroopas to pass by, and watch the wind pick up.

This part is the first difficult part you'll see. You'll have to run and jump
on top of the stack of four blocks, then immediately jump to the ground on the
right. If you make it here you'll notice a red Koopa and a couple of Buzzy
Beetles; if they're a problem then you can use one to get rid of the other. To
the right you'll see three red Paratroopas floating above a huge pit; you must
bounce off of them to get across. Luigi has an easier time here, as he gets a
huge boost off of an enemy and jumps higher. Mario will have to wait until the
Paratroopa is at a reachable height, bounce off of it, and hope that the other
two Paratroopas are low enough for him to bounce off of.

OK, once you get that taken care of, you'll get to a long upside-down pipe with
a red Piranha Plant and two Bullet Bill cannons to the right. Run under the
pipe, and if a Bullet Bill is ever launched from the bottom cannon while you're
under the pipe, duck and jump to get rid of it. Then jump on the cannon and go
right. You'll see a Buzzy Beetle and an aggressive Hammer Brother that runs
towards you. There are two ways to get rid of this Hammer Brother. You can use
the Buzzy Beetle to kill it, and pray that it works. Because the hit detection
with Hammer Brothers is bad, it won't always work, but it usually does. The
other way to beat him is to stand on the very left edge of the screen, similar
to in 7-1. You will be immune to the hammers as he runs towards you. When he's
right near you, jump up and bounce on it to kill it.

Now that the Hammer Brother is gone, you'll notice another long upside-down
pipe, with four brick blocks. The first one contains a power-up, but it's so
out of reach that it is very difficult to get without a glitch that allows you
to "climb" up the left edge of the pipe. Basically, to do this glitch, you have
to scroll the screen to the right so that a tiny bit more than half of the
block with the power-up is showing (or on the GBA, a very little part of the
block). Then run back to the left edge of the screen, and keep jumping. If you
scrolled far enough, you'll notice that Mario/Luigi will be stuck in the pipe.
Keep jumping and Mario/Luigi will keep ascending the pipe. Eventually you'll
hit the power-up block.

Now to get out, hold Left and keep pressing A as fast as you can; you'll notice
that you'll be pulled into the pipe going right. If you're trying to get a Fire
Flower, try to break the brick blocks so that you can jump out from the top of
the pipe and get the Fire Flower. If it's a Mushroom you're trying to get, let
Mario/Luigi automatically move right until he's out of the pipe. Then get the
Mushroom.

Once that's done, go to the right and you'll see a red Piranha Plant and
another long pit. This pit has only one red Paratroopa, and is harder. Luigi
will, once again, have an easier time, as he can bounce off anytime. Mario will
need to wait until the Paratroopa is descending until it's a bit above Mario's
height; that way it will be reachable when he gets there. He should go right to
see the Paratroopa, and go back left on the pipe. Once you bounce off the
Paratroopa, try to land on the lone brick block. Wait for the aggressive Hammer
Brother to run left towards you, and then jump over him before he has the
chance to hit you with one of his hammers. Run to the right and jump over the
red Piranha Plant quickly before the Hammer Brother starts chasing you to the
right.

You'll see a Bullet Bill cannon and another Hammer Brother. Use the same trick
as before to defeat this Hammer Brother; stay at the left of the screen and
jump over any Bullet Bills that come at you. Once you get rid of the Hammer
Brother, jump on top of the cannon; there is a power up above it. Get the
power-up, and then you can do one of two things. If you warped here, or you got
all the coins in 7-3, you can get the 1-UP Mushroom, which is touching the
right side of the stair-like brick blocks:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+----++----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----++----+
+----+
|_|__|
|__|_|
+----+
+----++----+
|_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_|
+----++----+
+----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||. .| <-------- 1-UP Mushroom
|__|_||__|_||__|_||. .|
+----++----++----++----+
+----++----++----++----+
|_|__||_|__||_|__||_|__|
|__|_||__|_||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----++----+
^^
||
||
Power-up

||__||
|____|
||()||
||__||________________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make sure to avoid both Bullet Bill cannons while getting the 1-UP Mushroom.

You can also take the safer way if you don't want the 1-UP Mushroom, which is
above the brick blocks.

You'll see a red Piranha Plant and a red Koopa. If you took the top route,
you'll avoid these. You'll see more red Piranha Plants in pipes. Avoid entering
the right-side-up pipe before the first pit with the lone block, because you'll
enter an underwater bonus room similar to the one in 6-1, but with slightly
different graphics. Exiting this bonus room will take you to a Warp Zone to
World 5-1, and you don't want that, given the difficulty of all the levels
you've been doing. You also can't see World 9 if you enter any Warp Zone, so if
you end up here by accident, let the time run out.

Instead, just jump on the suspended block, and then the next pipe, avoiding the
red Piranha Plant. Keep avoiding the red Piranha Plants, and get the brick
block to get a lot of coins. Jump on the last pipe, then the suspended block,
and finish the level by touching the flagpole.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 8-2 - Difficulty: 8/10
-------------

This level has autumn colors instead of winter colors. It's also shorter than
the last level, but it's still rather difficult. You'll start out by seeing a
pipe and a collapsing lift. Wait for the Piranha Plant to get into the pipe,
and quickly jump onto the lift and onto the land to the right. There is a
power-up above the lift, but it's difficult to get unless it's a Mushroom.

Now, you'll see a floating pipe, and some brick blocks with coins, Buzzy
Beetles, and green Koopas. Try using the Buzzy Beetle on top get rid of the
other Buzzy Beetles. Also make sure to avoid the last brick block, because it
has a Poison Mushroom. Anyway, run to the right watching the Buzzy Beetle
knocking out the other Buzzy Beetles and Koopas.

Jump over the pipe, and you'll encounter... you guessed it... wind! There are a
couple of camouflaged brick blocks in the castle wall, one with coins, and one
with a Poison Mushroom. But more importantly, there is a springboard and a very
tall wall. You'll need to bounce off of the springboard while running to get a
long jump. This is difficult with the wind, because you need to be precise when
jumping. It takes practice, but you should try jumping to the springboard when
you are running in the middle of the castle wall.

Once you make the jump on springboard, you'll make it past the wall and see
some brick blocks, a pit, and a red Paratroopa under one of the blocks. You'll
also notice the wind stopped. You may think you need to go right, but that
takes you to a long passage with many camouflaged brick blocks containing
Poison Mushrooms, a couple of Hammer Brothers, and a pipe that takes you to
Bonus Room #6. Exiting this Bonus Room will take you back to the pipe right
before the wind started. So instead of running to the right, bounce off the red
Paratroopa to hit the brick block above it, and then land on the ground to the
right. A vine will come up! Climb it and you'll make it to the last part of
8-2, which is short.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+----+
|_|__|
|__|_|
+----+
^^
||
||
First, hit this block by bouncing
/\|| off the red Paratroopa
/O|VV _ directly below it. It
| |__/ \ reveals a vine.
|/ \ |
<| |/ Next, jump on this block
|___| and from there, jump to
|_|_| || the vine. Don't
VV break this block.
+----+
|_|__|
|__|_|
+----+
+----++----++----+
|. .||_|__||_|__|
|. .||__|_||__|_|
+----++----++----+
^^
||
Avoid this Starman. You
won't be able to bounce
off of the Paratroopa.

______ _______________________________
| |
| |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll notice that there are some cloud platforms. There are no enemies, and
there are only a few of these clouds until the flagpole, which is on the last
cloud. This part shouldn't be too hard.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 8-3 - Difficulty: 9/10
-------------

This level has the cloud platforms from the end of the last level, and has a
lot of difficult jumps and Hammer Brothers. Lakitu is also present in this
level, but it's not as much of a concern as the Hammer Brothers. Just be
prepared for a difficult level.

This level starts out with a collapsing lift and another cloud platform after
that. You'll see Lakitu here. Jump on it to get rid of it, and make a running
jump to the long, high cloud while ignoring the floating green Koopa
Paratroopa. Go right, and you'll see a red springboard and another collapsing
lift. Do NOT jump down to the springboard, but rather FALL down and hold left
while falling; you will get more momentum on the springboard this way.
Immediately jump on the springboard, and hopefully you have enough speed to
make it to the very high collapsing lift. Fall or jump down to the cloud below.

At this point Lakitu will have likely reappeared, and he's harder to get since
you're at a lower height than before. If he's an annoyance to you, you can get
rid of the red Koopa on the stack of blocks and jump on Lakitu from there. It's
not worth the trouble, however, since he usually reappears quickly anyway.

Past the stack of blocks with the red Koopa Troopa on it, you'll see quite a
few aggressive Hammer Brothers. You may think that doing the trick where you
have to stand on the left edge of the screen would be a good idea here, but
Lakitu throws so many Spinies and reappears so often that it's difficult to do
without getting hit by a Spiny. Doing running jumps over Hammer Brothers is a
better idea, although it's still difficult because there are brick blocks with
Poison Mushrooms that blend in the castle wall, like in 8-2. These brick
blocks, annoyingly, can cut off your jump and cause you to hit the Hammer
Brothers. If you look closely, you can see these brick blocks, so that you can
get enough speed to jump on them and then jump over the Hammer Brothers. When
you get past them, you'll find another castle wall. There are three brick
blocks camouflaged in this wall: the first one has a Poison Mushroom, the
second one has a Mushroom (or Fire Flower), and the last one has a vine. Get
the second block if you need it, and the vine is good if you want a lot of
coins (59, if I counted correctly). If you don't want the coins, you can go
right, since this bonus stage doesn't take you any further in the level.

No matter which path you took, you will be near an orange pipe and another
brick castle wall. There is another camouflaged block, this time with a
Starman, but you should avoid it because you need to bounce off of a couple of
red Paratroopas soon. Go to the right and you'll find a springboard. Bounce off
of the springboard, go right, and you'll see the Paratroopas. They're easy to
bounce off of with both characters.

You'll immediately see a Hammer Brother. Jump past it like before. It's easier
this time since there are no blocks blended in the background to cut off your
jump. You'll see another; either jump over it or do the "Hammer Immunity"
trick. At the end of the platform, there seems like an impossible jump.
However, there are two more camouflaged brick blocks at the very end of the
castle. The first one contains coins, and the second one has a Poison Mushroom.
Jump on these blocks; you don't need to hit them from the bottom. Get enough
speed, and jump on the scale lift to the right. Lower it enough so that you can
get from the right lift to the suspended blocks. Don't lower the left lift too
far, however, or you can't even reach the second lift. Once you get to the
blocks, jump from them to get to the flagpole to end this annoying level.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------
- World 8-4 - Difficulty: 9.5/10 **Maze Level!**
------------- **Final Level!**

This is the final level... at least, it's the final level of the main eight
worlds. The game is not over yet, though, as this level is fairly difficult. As
with other worlds, the last level in this world is a castle.

The first thing you'll notice is that you need to get to the platform below
you. The problem is, you'll have to do an Arc Jump going DOWNWARD. In order to
do this easily, stand on the very edge of the platform you're on with a little
bit of Mario or Luigi's foot hanging over the edge. If you're big, you should
duck. Now, jump, moving right VERY SLIGHTLY so you can get off of the platform,
then as soon as you're on the same height as the higher platform, move left.
This will likely take a few tries to get this right, but if you did this
correctly, you should be on the lower platform now. This was only the first
hard part in this level. Get used to this move, because you'll need to do it
again shortly.

Now that you're on the lower platform, go to the left so you have room for
speed, then run to the right and jump when the Firebar on the right platform is
out of the way. Continue running right, avoiding the Firebar as you get to it.
When you get here, make sure not to jump between the right side of the ceiling
you just went under and the raised block at the end, because you'll find a
block with a Poison Mushroom, and you don't want that.

To the right, you'll see a lava pit with a Podoboo, and a platform to the right
of that pit with a Firebar on it. This is difficult to do, since either of
these two things can hit you easily. The best time to jump is when you see the
Podoboo descending about halfway down and the Firebar is pointing up or right.
While you are waiting for both of these enemies to be in these spots, you
should be standing a couple of blocks away from the raised block right before
the pit. When these enemies are in the right spots, jump onto the raised block
to get some speed, and jump past the pit. Try to land on the right end of the
stair-like platform.

You'll see a red Paratroopa and a couple of pipes to the right. Bounce off of
the Paratroopa, preferably when it's low, and try to get on top of the first
pipe. If you land on the brick platform above it instead, jump to the second
pipe, and do a small ducking jump to the first pipe (or if you're small, just
simply jump). Enter the pipe and you'll find an underwater passage.

This water passage is strange, because the water is black and there are no
waves on top. Is this supposed to be murky water? Anyway, this part is short
and isn't too hard, and is actually easier than the water passage in 8-4 in
SMB. When you come out of the pipe, you'll see a gray Blooper which isn't too
hard to avoid. You'll also see a Firebar around a blue block, which is also
easy to avoid. Just wait for it to move left and go in the tiny passage. There
is another easy Firebar in the middle here; simply avoid it by letting it
rotate in the bricks and swimming above it. There is another Firebar at the
end, which is a bit trickier, but it's still rather easy; just move under it
when it's out of the way. There's also another Blooper, which is also easy to
avoid. Enter the pipe here, and you'll be on land again.

This small room consists of two pipes and a hidden power-up. You'll go up the
first pipe. The first of two hidden power-ups in this level is next to the left
wall:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______ ________________________
| | | | | | | | | |
_|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | |
__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
| | | |
_|__|_ _|__|_
| | | |
__|__| __|__|
| | +----+ | |
_|__|_|. .| _|__|_
| ||. .| <------ Invisible block | |
__|__|+----+ __|__|
| | | |
_|__|_ _|__|_
| | | |
__|__| __|__|
+----------+ | | +----------+
| | | | | _|__|_ | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+----------+ __|__| +----------+
| | | | | |
| | _|__|_ | |
| | | | | |
__________________ | | __|__|______ | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|__|__|__|__|_ | | _|__|__|__|_ | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__|__|__|__|__| | | __|__|__|__| | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you get the power-up, jump on the pipe and then jump on the platform
hovering over the second pipe. This part is just like at the beginning of the
level, where you have to do a downward Arc Jump. Do exactly what you did at the
beginning of the level, but this time, try to stop yourself from going too far
left into the pipe, because you might hit the Piranha Plant. If you make it to
the pipe, wait for the red Piranha Plant to disappear, and enter the pipe.

You'll be in another part of the level, although this isn't as difficult. Go to
the left edge of the pipe to get room for speed, then run right and jump past
the lava pit onto another platform. All of the ? Blocks have coins, except for
the third, which has a Poison Mushroom. Avoid it. Jump past the pipe, and do
NOT enter any of these pipes you see, because you'll get taken back to the
underwater part of the level. Dodge the Blooper and the blue Koopa Paratroopa.
Try to wait for a few seconds if you plan to jump on the Paratroopa, because it
starts out close to an invisible block with a Poison Mushroom, which is not
good. There is another pipe to the right, with another blue Koopa Paratroopa,
but this time it floats rather than hopping. You can jump on it repeatedly to
get rid of it. To the right, you'll see a few blocks in mid-air, as well as a
lift below them.

Do NOT jump on the blocks above the lift, because you'll have to restart this
room of the level again. Instead, jump on the lift, and when it is as far right
as it can go, run from it past the gaps from the lone blocks to the right of
the lift. Then, jump when you're on the second lift onto the platform to the
right. The giant Firebar isn't much of a threat, because it is usually out of
the way when you make it onto the platform. Run right through the very long,
empty passage, and you'll eventually see a large pit with a red Paratroopa and
a blue Paratroopa, which seem to fly at slightly different speeds. You'll have
to bounce off them to get to the elbow pipe on the right. The best time to jump
is when the red Paratroopa is as low as possible, and the blue Paratroopa is as
right as possible. Once they're at their respective spots, jump and bounce off
them to make it on the pipe. But before you enter the pipe, there is a second
hidden power-up above the pipe that you should get first.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+----+ | | | |
|. .| | | _|__|_
|. .| | | | |
+----+ | | __|__|
^^ | | | |
|| | | _|__|_
Invisible | | | |
block | | __|__|
| | | |
| | _|__|_
| | | |
| | __|__|
+----+ | | | |
|----| | | _|__|_
| |---------- | | |
|----| \ | __|__|
| | / | | |
|----|---------- | _|__|_
| | | | | |
______ ____________+----+_________|____|_____|__|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
_|__|_ _|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|_
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
__|__| __|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enter the pipe now, and you'll be in the last area of the level.

Go to the right, and you'll see Bowser! Here it is, the real Bowser! Strangely,
he's blue for some reason. This Bowser, unlike its decoys, throws hammers AND
spits fire. If you're Fire Mario/Luigi, stay at the left side of the screen, so
that you'll keep a safe distance from him while shooting fireballs at him. Jump
any fireballs he spits at you, and shoot fireballs back at him! Just be warned
that there occasionally is a glitch that causes part or even all of his fire to
be invisible, which is very annoying. If this happens, try to guess where the
fire is, and jump over it when you think it's about to hit you. Also, there's
one more thing you should be aware about: NEVER stand on the pipe next to
Bowser. There are invisible coin blocks above the pipe, effectively trapping
you, so you have no choice but to enter the pipe, which will take you back to
the underwater part of the level. You've come a long way, so you do not want to
make this mistake. Just do what you can to pelt him with your fireballs, and
you'll find that the decoy is... Bowser! You also got 5000 points for beating
him, as usual.

If you're Super or normal Mario/Luigi, this will be tougher. Stand under his
arc of hammers, and hope he won't shoot any fireballs. Wait for him to jump,
and run under him! If you're big, you should do a ducking slide under him when
he jumps. If you manage to do this, you will have beaten this game!

..Wait a second! Where's the axe? Well, it turns out that he was fake. Why
else would he be blue? Well, you still have the real Bowser to beat, so run to
the right and jump on the collapsing lift. Jump on the platform to the right.
Don't worry about the red Piranha Plant, as you have to jump to get hit by it,
even if you're big. Jump to the right, avoiding the single Buzzy Beetle, and
run further into the passage. You'll find the real Bowser! This one is very
tough, with annoying hanging walls that prevent you from jumping over him, one
of which has a Firebar. And, like the fake Bowser you just fought, this one
also shoots fire and throws hammers! If you're still Fiery Mario/Luigi, stand
in the middle of the staircase and pelt fireballs at him as you see that he is
the real Bowser and you get another 5000 points. If you're Super Mario/Luigi or
small Mario/Luigi, get inside his arc of hammers, while avoiding the Firebar
and hoping he doesn't shoot fireballs at you. Like before, wait for him to jump
and run under him! If you're Super Mario/Luigi, make sure to crouch while
running under him! If you manage to do this, you will have beaten the first
part of this game! For real!

********** SPOILERS! **********