Let me take you back to a simpler time, when kids and adults alike owned the 16-bit Sega Genesis console. In order to play your beloved games, one had to blow at the bottom of the cartridge to get them to work properly. All was well in the gaming world. Sonic the Hedgehog was king, and Tails was his right-hand fox. (By the way, was I the only one who thought Tails was a girl? Eye opening, I know.) They fought Dr. Robotnik, aka Eggman, and saved countless innocent little animals-turned-robots, as well as collected rings and chaos emeralds along the way. They even added to their team with everyone’s favorite redhead, Knuckles. There was no 3-D nonsense – Sonic could only go backward and forward on your screen.

Nintendo DS has brought it all back for you. It is gaming nostalgia at its best, taking you back to the 1990s with only one tiny DS cartridge. In the palm of your hand, you get the “Sonic Classic Collection”: “Sonic,” “Sonic 2,” “Sonic 3,” “Sonic and Knuckles” and even special versions of “Sonic 2” and “Sonic 3” featuring Knuckles. If you recall, it was the coolest thing ever when you could place another “Sonic” game on top of the “Sonic and Knuckles” one to unlock the red echidna; now you do not have to. It’s technically four games in one, and for $30.00 at GameStop, that is well worth it in my book.

“The Sonic Classic Collection” restores all of your old-school “Sonic” Sega games, as well as give you the ability to save after each act. Back in the Sega Genesis days, you had no choice but to play straight through, or lose your game.

This updated game is rated E for everyone, and is quite an enjoyable collection for kids and adults of all ages, whether or not Sonic was a key gaming figure in your generation.

The only downfall is that you cannot play the team of Sonic and Tails as you would on the Genesis. In that two-player mode, one could play as Tails and carry Sonic from place to place, as well as fight alongside him. In the DS, Tails is just an annoyance, following you around and getting killed off. Sometimes he helps grab a ring or two, but he’s really just a drag.

Gamer tip: If you have the option to use Knuckles, take advantage of it. His abilities are Sonic and Tails wrapped in one, and then some. He can run fast, glide and climb. He’s a great option for beginners trying these games for the first time.

If you want to go back in time and revisit Green Hill Zone, glide through the air with Knuckles, bump headfirst into a TV that contains rings and shields or race through an act with Sonic at, well, supersonic speed, then this is a must for your collection. Trust me, these games are just like riding a bike – it all comes back to you. If you knew where the bonus rounds and the TVs with the one-up lives were, trust your instincts – all that stuff is right where you left it back in 1992, waiting for you now in 2010.

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