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SONIC & KNUCKLES
FAQ/walkthrough by William Walker
For Sega Genesis

This FAQ/walkthrough is copyright William Walker, all rights reserved. Do not sell it for profit at
all. If you wish to post it on your site e-mail me requesting my permission first; it is probably all
right, but e-mail me just the same. This FAQ/walkthrough was begun July 31, 2003.

1. Introduction

Well, here I am, writing my fourth FAQ/walkthrough in a row for the Sonic the Hedgehog series
for Sega Genesis, one of my favorite game series, along with Super Mario Brothers, Donkey
Kong and Zelda. There was a substantial time gap between the completion of my last
FAQ/walkthrough for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the beginning of this one. This is because my
video game desire waxes and wanes and sometimes other things intervene and prevent me from
having enough time or motivation to write FAQ/walkthroughs. I will adopt a one project at a time
approach from now on, although I think I can safely say my next and last FAQ/walkthrough for a
Sonic the Hedgehog game will be Sonic 3D Blast, although I cannot specify when or if I will
begin work on that. It could be a very long time or even never, since the summer is ending soon,
and I have to go back to school.

In any event, Sonic is a rolling blue hedgehog who is the premier character of Sega much as
Mario is of Nintendo, and he appears in several games in most Sega systems. There are seven
Sonic games available for Sega Genesis, at least six for Game Gear, a small, portable unit (I have
posted FAQ/walkthroughs for all of these), Sonic CD for the PC (Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic &
Knuckles and Sonic 3D Blast are also available in PC versions) and Sonic Adventure for more
advanced systems. Since Sonic has so many games, many of which are high quality from the
golden age of video gaming, it's easy to see why I like him so much. Sonic & Knuckles was the
last really traditional Sonic platform game released for the Sega Genesis. This game was originally
meant to be combined with Sonic 3 in one game, but the games were split in two in order to get
them out on time. This explains why the gameplay is almost exactly the same as Sonic 3.

The feature that distinguishes Sonic & Knuckles is its lock-on feature. The Sonic & Knuckles
cartridge has a top that can be opened, and another cartridge for the Sega Genesis can be inserted
into it. The only cartridges hooking Sonic & Knuckles up with will produce an effect are Sonic 1,
Sonic 2 and Sonic 3. Locking these games on to Sonic & Knuckles will allow you to play
different versions of those games. For more information see the lock-on feature section after the
walkthrough for Sonic & Knuckles alone. Playing on the PC version and with the new GameCube
cartridge that has all seven Genesis games (along with bonus features) in one cartridge will also
allow you to play the games locked on. For purposes of this FAQ/walkthrough you can be playing
off the cartridge, off the CD for the PC, using the GameCube cartridge or using an emulator.
However, I am playing using the original cartridge and Sega Genesis, and cannot mention any
abnormalities in play that may result from any of the other ways of playing this game.

This FAQ/walkthrough contains my own work from playing the game, based on information in
tips released by Sega. For information on locations of giant rings I used for reference the Sonic 3
& Knuckles Quest for Emeralds FAQ by TurboKiller, primarily information from the portion of
that FAQ on Sonic & Knuckles ring locations, which was written primarily by Warrior of Zerona
(Andrew Bautista) and TurboKiller. The locations of giant rings in the Sonic 3 Walkthrough for
Knuckles section of my FAQ were obtained from the portion of Sonic 3 & Knuckles Quest for
Emeralds FAQ written by Janus Operative and TurboKiller. I did not use any part of that FAQ in
mine word for word, though. I wish to express my sincere thanks to the writers of that FAQ for
providing me with a reference tool. If you would like to contact me, to ask questions, make
suggestions or mention something I missed in my FAQ/walkthrough, by all means e-mail me! I
love getting e-mails from other Sonic enthusiasts, if anything just to remind me some people still
play and enjoy these obsolete games, and I like to help people out there if they need help. (That's
why I wrote this FAQ/walkthrough). By all means e-mail me at j-d-walker@worldnet.att.net . I'm
waiting for your e-mails!

2. Story

Sonic & Knuckles takes place on an island called the Floating Island in the seas of Mobius, a
planet in a galaxy far, far away. Floating Island has many different environments and biomes,
remnants of ancient civilizations, and many inhabitants, mostly friendly animals. Its most affluent
inhabitants, though, are Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue hedgehog faster than almost anything on the
island, and Knuckles the Echidna, a pink character who is supposed to be descended from ancient
civilizations and knows much of the secrets and tunnels of Floating Island. In particular, Knuckles
is the guardian of the Chaos Emeralds, magical stones that have tremendous power and are hidden
away in another dimension. The largest Chaos Emerald, the Master Emerald, is what keeps
Floating Island floating in the sea. Tails the Fox, Sonic's two-tailed sidekick, is not present in this
game (although he is if you lock on to Sonic 3).

The story depends on whether you are playing as Sonic or as Knuckles. If you're Sonic, the story
begins where it left off after Sonic 3, when Sonic thwarted the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik's
plans to steal the Chaos Emeralds and use them to power his huge space station, the Death Egg,
and make it fly again. That defeat left Robotnik bitter and eager for revenge, and he had fooled
Knuckles into thinking that Robotnik was good and Sonic, not him, was the one trying to steal the
Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles fell for Robotnik's lies and did everything he could to stop Sonic. In
Sonic & Knuckles Robotnik has discovered the existence of the Master Emerald and is trying to
steal it to make his Death Egg fly again. Sonic is racing against Robotnik to outsmart Knuckles,
save the Master Emerald and prevent Floating Island from being destroyed.

If you're Knuckles, the story is totally different. You're resting in Floating Island's mushroom
hills, ever vigilant for any sign of trouble, when a bomb falls from the sky and narrowly misses
you. You see the robot that dropped the bomb and realize Robotnik is at it again. As the guardian
of Floating Island you immediately set off to stop Robotnik once and for all.

3. General Information

Sonic & Knuckles has seven main zones, and also Special Stages, Bonus Stages and an eighth
zone that only exists if you collect all the Chaos Emeralds in the game. Most zones have two acts
though some have only one. An act is an individual level and is usually very long with many traps,
enemies, obstacles and secrets. At the end of the first act of a zone you fight a mid-boss, which is
a machine or robot created by Dr. Robotnik to stop you. At the end of the second act of a zone
you usually fight Dr. Robotnik himself in one of his evil inventions. Keep in mind that some zones
have more bosses than normal and bosses in this game can be a bit unconventional and unusual
compared to other Sonic games.

In all acts there are rings, which you need to collect to stay alive. Rings float in the air, usually in
groups, and as long as you have at least one ring you cannot die from a normal hit. You do lose
all your rings whenever you get hit, but some fly into the air and you can re-grab them if you're
quick. If you get hit with no rings, you die. You also die if you fall off the screen, get crushed or
run out of time. Running out of time is not usually a problem since you get 10 minutes to
complete each act, but remember acts are long in this game. You cannot die from drowning like in
other games because there is no water in this game. If you die you return to the last Starpost you
activated (Starposts serve as check points and also have a role in entering Bonus Stages, see
Section 5) with no rings and the same time on the timer as when you activated the Starposts. If
you haven't activated any Starposts you return to the beginning of the act. You begin the game
with three lives, and if you lose all three, your game is over and you must start again from the
beginning unless you have a continue. To get a continue you must collect 50 rings in a Special
Stage (see Section 4). If you have a continue, press start at the continue screen before the
countdown runs out to restart in the act you lost you last life in with three lives but no score. To
get extra lives, collect 1-UP power-ups, 100 rings, 200 rings (further 100s will not give you extra
lives) or multiples of 50,000 points.

Control is fairly simple, like in all Sonic games. Sonic and Knuckles mostly play the same. Use the
directional pad to walk left or right, duck or look up. If you hold down or up for a few seconds
while standing still the camera will move to show what is above or below you. Press down while
walking to roll (also called the Super Spin Attack). This is one way to defeat enemies; you can
also jump onto or into them to defeat them. Just be sure you touch them while rolling and you do
not touch them in a dangerous location (such as spiked parts of them). Press start to
pause/unpause the game, and A, B or C to jump. To do a Spin Dash Attack, duck and press A, B
or C. Instead of jumping, you will rev up in place like an engine. Hold down and press A, B or C
several times to increase power. Release down to fly off on the ground. Get used to this move and
executing it quickly and correctly, since it is very useful for rolling up curved walls, getting up
speed quickly, making long jumps or smashing through enemies or barriers.

Knuckles can do a few other things as well. For one thing he can smash through most barriers
with his knuckles just be walking through them (Sonic has to spin dash to break these barriers, or
in some cases cannot break through them at all). Also, if Knuckles jumps and presses A, B or C in
midair, he will glide forward as long as you hold A, B or C. This move is great for crossing gaps
and defeating airborne enemies. Just hold down A, B or C as long as you want to glide. If you
glide into a wall (or double jump right next to the wall) you can stick to it, and climb up or down
the wall and jump off when you wish. This is simply referred to as climbing a wall in the
walkthrough. Both of these moves are very useful and vital to getting past sections of acts that are
unique to Knuckles, so master them quickly.

Knuckles cannot jump as high as Sonic (this makes him unable to follow Sonic's route sometimes,
just as Sonic is sometimes unable to follow Knuckles' route due to his inability to break down
some walls). I give two separate walkthroughs for Sonic and Knuckles, since especially later in
the game, the areas they have to traverse are often completely separate. Knuckles also plays only
six zones, not seven, and some bosses have a different pattern when you play as Knuckles than
when you do as Sonic. Generally speaking, playing as Knuckles makes the game substantially
harder. I started playing as Sonic and I recommend you do the same. If Sonic does a double jump
he will be surrounded by a white flash for a fraction of a second; this move is called the Insta-
Shield and will extend his attack range momentarily, and can be useful to hit an enemy or boss
that is high up. Also when Sonic has a Shield, he can do other, more useful moves by double
jumping; Knuckles can never do these moves with a Shield, and this is why Shield items are
generally more useful to Sonic than to Knuckles.

Scoring points is fairly simple in this game. Every enemy you defeat is worth 100 points. If you
defeat several enemies in succession (on one roll or jump) your points increase to 200, 500, 1000,
and they remain at 1000 until the tenth enemy or so, then you score 10,000 points for each enemy
thereafter. Defeating a boss or mid-boss earns you 1000 points. You score a ring bonus at the end
of each act of 100 points per ring in your possession. You also score a time bonus for how
quickly you made it through the act. However, going for a high time bonus is not the
recommended way of getting a high score. Not only are acts longer than earlier games and always
have a boss, but the time bonus scoring system has increased its standards from earlier games, so
you need to go even faster to earn a bonus. If you take longer than 3:30, you get a default bonus
of 100 points.

Here are the power-ups in this game. They are always found in monitors with a picture on them
indicating what power-up it is. Jump on them or roll into them to break them open and collect
them.

Super Ring - Looks like a picture of a ring; worth 10 rings.
Invincibility - Looks like three stars; makes you invincible to enemies (but not to anything that can
kill you instantly) for a short time.
Speed Shoes - Looks like a red shoe; gives you a burst of speed for a short time. Very rare in this
game and often turns out to do more harm than good.
1-UP - Looks like Sonic's face (or Knuckles' face if you're playing as Knuckles); worth an extra
life.
Robotnik - Looks like a picture of Robotnik; found only in the last few zones. Avoid at all costs -
collecting one causes you to get hit.
Shields - In Sonic & Knuckles there are three kinds of Shields, each with different abilities. You
can only have one at a time (getting a new Shield will replace an old one). All the Shields break
when you get hit, but protect you from losing rings. Also, all the Shields protect you from certain
projectiles such as some flying rocks and small energy balls. Projectiles that any Shield will repel
are stated in the walkthrough. In addition, each Shield provides its own special abilities in addition
to these:

Water Shield - Looks like a drop of water. The last desirable Shield in most cases but much better
than nothing. When you have this Shield do a double jump (jump and press A, B or C in the air)
and you will immediately bounce downward to the floor, and reflect off it like a ball, bouncing
higher than you could with a normal jump. This move has limited uses, though, and is difficult to
control. (All Shields produce some sort of effect for Sonic only when you do a double jump; the
Insta-Shield move is disabled while you have a Shield on. If you're Knuckles you cannot do any
of these moves but can use the all the other benefits of the Shield).
Fire Shield - Looks like a fire. The second most desirable Shield in all zones except Lava Reef (in
that zone this is the most desirable Shield since it protects you from lava, very common in that
zone). Provides, in addition to protection against attacks like energy balls, protection against lava
and some fire-based attacks provided by no other Shield. It's safe to assume this protects you
from most fire-based attacks but not all of them; check the walkthrough for individual
information. When you have this Shield do a double jump and you will execute a move called a
Fireball Spin Dash - you will blast forward as if you had done a spin dash in midair. This move is
very easy to do and very convenient.
Lightning Shield - Looks like a bolt of lightning. The best Shield to have in most cases. Sucks
rings in towards you like a magnet when you go near them, so that you need only step near rings
and they come flying toward you on their own. Real useful to say the least. Also, doing a double
jump with this Shield does just that - a double jump, jumping again in midair. This is a fantastically
versatile move which lets you jump higher and farther (higher than you can with a Water Shield
bounce) and get out of sticky situations.

4. Special Stage

Sonic & Knuckles has a Special Stage very similar to that of Sonic 3 but even harder. Collecting
all the Chaos Emeralds is harder in this game than in most other Genesis games. A Special Stage
in a Sonic game is a level outside the regular game where your goal is to collect a Chaos Emerald.
(They aren't to be confused with Bonus Stages, where the goal is to collect more rings and
power-ups). Chaos Emeralds are magnificent gems with tremendous powers, and play an
important part in the story, but they aren't necessary to complete the game. They do make it
easier, though, and allow you access to Doomsday Zone (see the walkthrough) if you collect them
all. To enter a Special Stage you must find a giant gold ring. These are only found in the first four
zones, and there is at least one in most acts. But there are fewer in general than in Sonic 3. This is
one of the reasons collecting all the Chaos Emeralds is so hard in this game (the other is that the
Special Stages themselves are harder). Sonic can access a few more giant rings than Knuckles
can, so Knuckles has an even harder time collecting all the Chaos Emeralds.

The Special Stage itself is fast-paced and very hard. You will be running along a huge globe (each
stage's globe is a different color) that turns beneath your feet, and if you go too far in one
direction, eventually repeats itself. You can use A, B or C to jump, and at an intersection on the
globe, hold left or right to change your direction 90 degrees left or right. You can only move in
four directions and usually run forward. Up and down on the directional pad have no effect. At
some intersections there are colored spheres, and touching these produces different effects,
depending on the type of sphere. Here are the objects at the intersections in the Special Stage:

Blue Spheres - Your goal is to collect all of these, but be aware that they turn into red spheres
when touched. If you touch all the blue spheres in a stage (indicated by the counter in the top left
corner, which tells you how many are left) you get a Chaos Emerald.
Red Spheres - Avoid at all costs, appear in place of blue spheres when you collect them but also
many are present at the beginning of the stage as well. If you touch one the Special Stage
immediately ends without you collecting the Chaos Emerald.
Red Star Spheres - Useless to touch, these are bumpers that make you walk backwards if you
touch them until you press up. Try to avoid them, especially if they are near red spheres.
Yellow Spheres - New (these aren't in the Sonic 3 Special Stages) these catapult you five spheres
ahead in the direction you were going if you touch them. Pretty cool.
Rings - These are not of any use in helping you survive the Special Stage, but they are worth 100
points apiece at the end of a Special Stage, even if you don't collect the Chaos Emerald. If you
collect all the rings in a stage you get a 'Perfect' bonus - 50,000 points, or one free life. If you
collect 50 rings in one Special Stage, you get a continue. Rings are sometimes present at the
beginning of the stage, but usually you have to create them by collecting all the blue spheres
around the perimeter of a square or rectangle of blue spheres at least 3X3 in size. If you collect all
the blue spheres on the perimeter of such a formation but don't collect any in the interior, the
whole formation - including the blue spheres that have become red spheres - will turn into rings.
Make sure you don't collect any blue spheres in the interior, though. Some stages have formations
like this with some blue spheres on the perimeter already red, and you can transform the
formation into rings by collecting the remaining ones on the perimeter.

This is the Special Stage in a nutshell. Keep in mind that it is quite hard and will take a lot of
practice to master, so don't get frustrated! If you need more help there are excellent guides for
the Special Stage available with ASCII diagrams of the Special Stages. Lastly, you go through the
Special Stages in a cycle, playing each one in order, only repeating the stages you haven't
completed after you play through them all. If you fail to complete a Special Stage you have to
play all the others before you can get to it again. Once you collect a Chaos Emerald in a Special
Stage you never play that stage again for the rest of the game. If you collect all the Chaos
Emeralds, touching a giant ring will give you 50 rings.

When, and if, you collect all the Chaos Emeralds you can become Super Sonic or Super Knuckles.
To do this you must have at least 50 rings and no Shield (if you have one and want to become
Super you must lose it on purpose). Jump and jump again in mid-air (as if you were doing an
Insta-Shield if you're Sonic or gliding if you're Knuckles) and you morph. Super Sonic is twice as
fast and can jump twice as high as regular Sonic, and is invincible to enemies (though he CAN still
die from falling off the screen, getting crushed or running out of time). Super Knuckles looks a bit
more like Knuckles than Super Sonic looks like regular Sonic, and can run and glide twice as fast
but not jump any higher. He is also invincible. Both Super characters lose a ring every second and
unless they collect rings to make up for this loss, they eventually tick down to 0 rings, at which
point they return to their normal form (with no rings). Shields have no effect on either Super
character, except a Lightning Shield, which will cause rings to be sucked toward you. The ability
to become Super makes the game easier and is quite cool as well.

5. Bonus Stage

People are always confused by the difference between Bonus Stage and Special Stage. Sonic &
Knuckles adds to the confusion because it has two different Bonus Stages. Special Stage you
enter through giant rings and its purpose is to collect Chaos Emeralds. Bonus Stage is entered
through Starposts and its purpose is to accumulate more rings and power-ups. Entering a Bonus
Stage is the same as entering a Special Stage in Sonic 2 - touch a new Starpost with at least 20
rings (not 50, like in earlier games) and a halo of stars appears. Jump into it to be taken to a
Bonus Stage. Although it takes practice, you can tell which Bonus Stage you'll go to by looking
at the ring of stars. Orange and white stars indicate you'll go to a Slot Machine Stage while red
and white stars indicate you'll go to a Glowing Spheres Stage. The difference is subtle and
difficult to detect, but you can do it. On the PC version, the stars are either orange or red, not a
mixture of orange or red and white, and their color is much easier to discern.

The Slot Machine Stage is a bit risky to enter because you can end up losing rings, but it also has
the possibility of a massive payout of rings. Don't enter it if you want to play it safe with your
rings. This stage is a cross between the Sonic 1 Special Stage and the slot machines in Sonic 2's
Casino Night Zone. You'll be in a rotating room with definite boundaries on the outside you can't
pass, various spheres you can jump on and off of floating around, and a slot machine in the center.
Your goal is to enter the slot machine as many times as possible and hopefully get more rings.
You begin directly above the slot machine and can't avoid falling in it. After that you need to
jump back in it by leaping from the spheres floating around it while avoiding the GOAL spheres
on a portion of the walls. Touching a GOAL sphere ends the stage. The rotating aspect of the
stage is pretty weird - you are constantly in a rolling state, and can jump off almost anything
unless it's directly above you, and the rotating can tip you off things or throw you against the
walls. It takes practice to master, unless you're already familiar with the Special Stage of Sonic 1,
which works much the same way.

Every time you land in the slot machine the slots spin. Unlike normal slot machines you nearly
always get three of the same thing, or at least some combination that gives you rings. There are
various slots, including bars, rings, faces of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, jackpots and Robotniks.
Getting almost any combination of them will award you with rings, and getting three jackpots will
give you 100 rings! However, annoyingly often the slots end up on three Robotniks, which means
you lose 100 rings (though you can't go below 0 rings or die, even if you get three Robotniks and
have no rings). This is what makes the stage so tricky - you have to decide whether to end the
stage with a modest gain in rings, or play the slots again and try to get more - and risk losing all
you got and more. Also, sometimes you lose early on and are playing to make up what you lost.
Sometimes you succeed; often you don't.

In addition to the slots there are 24 rings floating around the slot machine if four groups of six in a
pyramid shape. In the walls there are some 'R' spheres - this stands for Reverse and makes the
stage rotate the opposite way. To prevent you from staying in the stage forever (it's pretty easy to
avoid the GOALs at the start once you know what you're doing) the blue blocks that make up
much of the stage boundary change to yellow the first time you touch them, pink the second time,
and into GOALs the third time you touch them. The stage ends when you touch a GOAL. Good
luck and happy gambling!

The Glowing Spheres Stage has the advantage of never producing negative results and can get
you power-ups as well as rings, but it's very tricky to get very far in it. Basically you'll be in a
very brightly glowing chamber about two screens wide with pop bumpers, large magnetic glowing
spheres, and bumpers and flippers protruding from the walls. At the bottom of the chamber is a
force field which begins moving up shortly after the stage begins. You begin on some glowing
spheres right above the force field and will stick to them. Hold left or right to change the axis of
your orbit around the sphere (you orbit them like a planet orbiting the sun) from up and down to
diagonal to side to side. Press A, B or C to jump off a glowing sphere, in the direction you were
last going. To jump off really far you must time it to sling yourself off the sphere by jumping as
you pass over it, after pointing yourself in the direction you want to go. It takes practice.

Try to jump from sphere to sphere and not fall, because if you fall in the force field, or it catches
up with you, the stage ends. If you somehow manage to get to the very top of the stage and jump
out of the top, the stage also ends (this is very hard). Avoid pop bumpers because they tend to
bounce you where you don't want to go and aren't powerful enough to really do much good.
Also use flippers on the walls to flip up. When on a flipper jump to make it flip. Avoid wall
bumpers for the same reason you avoid pop bumpers. Go fairly quickly to stay ahead of the force
field and make sure you have enough time to consider what to do next, but not so fast you are
reckless and fall or miss power-ups. Get used to the mechanics of the glowing spheres and
jumping off them in the right direction, and plan your route up to get as many power-ups as
possible. Don't get power-ups in difficult positions and don't try to collect them all - just as many
as is safe. This stage takes a lot of practice before you can get very far, so don't get frustrated.

Power-ups are tiny glowing spheres surrounded by rings (usually) usually near large glowing
spheres. When you touch them, they turn into a sphere that indicates what power-up they are and
begin floating upward. Collect them quickly or they'll float away (they accelerate as they float
up). It's best to flip up above a glowing sphere to activate a power-up and then fall back down
onto the sphere to collect it. The higher you go, the better the power-ups and the more rings
surround them (usually). Some rings are found away from power-ups in groups, although this
stage is not particularly full of rings. The layout of this stage is the same each and every time, but
each power-up is different. Most power-ups have two or three different things they can be and in
each stage are randomly one of those things. As I said before, don't collect really difficult to reach
power-ups - there are plenty within easier reach. The power-ups, once you can see what they are,
are exactly the same as the gumballs in the Sonic 3 Bonus Stage (minus the REP). Here they are:

Clear - Worth absolutely nothing.
Solid black - A bumper. Avoid collecting.
B - Gives you a Shield, depending in the color of the sphere surrounding the B. Blue is Water, red
is Fire and brown is Lightning. (A Lightning Shield sucks rings toward you like in the regular
game and is a huge help in this stage. Other Shields are no help since you're constantly in a rolling
state in this stage and can't jump like in the regular game. Also, you can take Shields into this
stage, but not into the Slot Machine Stage).
Black with a ring - Worth 10, 20, 40 or even 80 rings depending on how high up in the stage you
are (the higher you go the more these give you). One of the most valuable power-ups, second
only to the 1-UP.
1-UP - Found only sometimes in the power-ups near the top of the stage, worth an extra life.

And now, without any further ado, turn on your Genesis, GameCube, emulator or insert your
Sonic & Knuckles collection CD into your PC and select your character at the title screen (by
pressing up or down) and begin the game! Without any further ado...

6. Walkthrough for Sonic

This is the meat of this FAQ/walkthrough; it is the walkthrough for Sonic & Knuckles when you
are playing as Sonic. The walkthrough for Knuckles is included afterwards and is not complete,
since some parts of the game are the same for both characters. Keep in mind that I recommend
playing as Sonic first, then Knuckles. This walkthrough tries to follow the path through each act
that is the easiest to follow and finds as many 1-UPS and giant rings as possible. I tried not to
follow very difficult paths, and thus may not guide you through every single 1-UP or giant ring. If
you find a giant ring or 1-UP fairly close to the main path, by all means e-mail it to me. But don't
e-mail me about secrets that require a major deviation from the path outlined in the walkthrough
to find. Thank you. Also, bear in mind that this can be a hard game, especially later on, so don't
get frustrated if you can help it, and if you are having trouble with a section or a boss, taking a
break and regrouping may be a good idea.

6a. Mushroom Hill Zone

A slight variation from the typical tropical paradise first zone, this zone is set in a forest with
many different types of mushrooms. Experiment and see how each type can help you get around.
This zone also has the highest concentration of giant rings in the game, so if you're going for all
the Chaos Emeralds, it's important you collect as many as possible in this zone.

Act 1

Begin by grabbing the three rings and going right. The large, red mushrooms are springboards you
can use to bounce up. They bounce you higher if you bounce on them several times. Go right and
you meet two yellow butterfly enemies that slowly fly toward you. These enemies are very
common in this zone so I won't always mention them. Defeat or ignore them and go through the
loop (spin dash if necessary). Continue right and you may get sent upward on a ramp. Keep going
down a hill until you come to some Speed Shoes. Above them is a mole who pops out of a hole in
the ground and throws mushrooms. If the mushrooms hit you, you won't be damaged but will be
sent flying backward unable to control yourself briefly, and may hit another enemy. The mole
himself isn't much threat and you can defeat him if you wish, but don't stand on his hole if he's
going into it or about to come out of it. To the right is a strange machine with two hooks for you
to grab. Grab onto one and press down. The machine will carry you up a few rungs. Keep
repeating this, pausing a moment between each time you press down, until the machine carries
you up to the level above (these machines are called 'pull-up machines in this walkthrough).

On the level above bounce up on the spring to your right. Jump over the spikes, defeat or avoid
another mole, and get the Super Ring in the short tunnel. On the other side hit the red spring to
go through a loop and be sent over a gap at the end of the ledge (which only works if you're
going fast enough). Use the mushrooms to bounce up. You encounter a dragonfly flying up and
down; he is only vulnerable in his head. Hit his head or run under him and go through another
loop. You find yourself swinging around a swing at the edge of a ledge. You need to jump off
timing it so you fly up and to the right, and land on the next ledge, if you want to follow this
walkthrough. It's rather tricky. If you fall, I am sorry but you are on your own unless you can
backtrack and rejoin the path. On the ledge to the right, go right and use the spring to get up the
curved wall. Go right and defeat another dragonfly, and at the edge of the ledge you come to a
green vine that stretches out into the openness beyond when you walk on it.

Drop down from the vine and grab the gray pole below you to swing down. You land on the edge
of a cliff, and to your right inside the wall is the first giant ring of the game. Get your first try at
the Special Stage, and when that is over, go right and out of the wall, down a hill to another
swing at the edge of a ledge. Don't try to swing up and right; drop down instead. You'll probably
land on a hill sloping left. Go left and just inside the wall below the yellow spring (which you can
also use) is a red spring that will propel you up the hill. Be aware that the mushroom sticking out
of the wall will drop off as soon as you land on it. If you use the red spring you'll probably land
on a higher level; drop back down in that case. Proceed right from the cliff above the hill, and pass
the Starpost. Ignoring the upper path go down a hill and you encounter a small orange mushroom
jumping around in a small tunnel. This is a disguised enemy and you need to hit him twice; once to
knock off his disguise and once to defeat him.

To the right don't jump to the ledge with the mole and drop down with the mushroom on the
edge. To the right is a pull-up machine, but ignore it, and jump into the right wall from either the
machine or by jumping on top of the spring. You'll find a secret passage with another giant ring.
Play another Special Stage, then exit the passage to the right and hit the spring to be propelled up
to the main path. Go right and use the mushrooms to bounce up to the ledge above where a
Lightning Shield is. Ignore the swing to the right of it and drop down, run down the hill and
through the loop. Ahead of you the path turns into a thick vine that goes up and back left. Spin
dash to get enough speed to run through this, but once you are right side up, slow down quickly.
You do not under any circumstances want to hit the spring to the left, invisible in the ground, that
will bounce you up to the higher level. That would make the last giant ring inaccessible.

Instead you need to get to the right of the vine without walking back on the part that will send
you back down it, and fall to the right of it. To do this you need to jump in the narrow passage
avoiding contact with a certain section of the vine. The Lightning Shield's double jumping ability
makes this much easier. If you go back below the vine just run or spin dash back up it, being very
careful not to accidentally touch the spring to the left. Once down to the right of the vine go right,
through a tunnel, to meet a jumping mushroom enemy. Defeat him and avoid the red spring that
will send you back left. Bounce up on the mushrooms and go right to find a passage with a giant
ring. After Special Stage, go right and, being careful of the dragonfly, hit the red spring. You'll go
for a ride that ends in you being flung up next to a Starpost. Hit it and go right through a loop to
the mid-boss arena.

Mid-Boss

This is pretty easy. It's a cinch if you have a Fire Shield, but you probably don't have one unless
you got one in a Bonus Stage. The mid-boss is a flying robot with an axe that begins in the top
right corner and flies to the right. Follow him and jump and hit him. Do not hit him from below
because his thrusters will hurt you; hit him from the left instead. (If you have a Fire Shield you are
immune to the thrusters so just deck him from below in that case). He stops at a tree in the
foreground and begins cutting it off in sections, sending the broken pieces (logs) flying to the left.
Avoid them and jump and hit him as he moves lower to cut the tree down. You can also get in
one hit at the beginning. When he gets very low you can also hit him from above. After he cuts
the whole tree down he'll repeat the pattern but you should have defeated him by then. To hit him
when he's high up you have to use the Insta-Shield move to enhance your range of attack (or use
the Lightning or Water Shields to jump higher). He takes six hits to defeat. After you defeat him
an end of act marker will come down. When it touches the ground you have completed the act.
However, you can fool around batting it in the air indefinitely, and each time you hit it you get
100 points. Also, if you can make it land in certain places it may cause power-ups to pop out of
the ground, but I don't know what places cause power-ups to appear.

Act 2

Go right until you meet Knuckles. He flips a switch that causes a wind to sweep you up into a
very different version of this zone. Now it's autumn, but everything in the zone remains the same,
just colored differently. Get the Invincibility to the left and go right, jumping to the higher ledge
with the aid of the mushroom. You find a Water Shield, ten rings in a pyramid, and an enemy that
looks like a gray chicken with a red pouch that he periodically inflates. He looks rather cute and
silly but when he deflates the pouch, a wind will push you away form him, so be careful and defeat
him between gusts of wind. Continue right to two mushrooms like a see-saw, one with a weight
on it. Jump onto the mushroom without the weight and stay put and you will be catapulted up.
Repeat this a second time landing on the mushroom again with more force and you will be
catapulted higher, high enough to reach the ledge to the left with two Super Rings and a red
spring pointing up and right. Spin dash right and hold right hard. You'll hit the red spring and fly
right quite far. Keep holding right as you fly and you should land on a yellow spring that will
bounce you through a loop. From where you stop jump to the right to find a secret tunnel with a
giant ring.

After Special Stage exit the chamber to the right. The stretching vine will make a bridge for you
over the spikes. Go over the twisting vine that will take you down below it and set you going left;
go left to a gray pole and swing below it. When you land watch out that the mushroom the mole
to your left throws at you doesn't knock you into the dragonfly. Defeat the dragonfly and go
right. Use the mushroom to bounce up to a ledge with a Super Ring and an Invincibility, then
drop back down and go right down a hill and through two loops. You will roll through a Starpost
and bounce up on a spring. Defeat the dragonfly ahead of you and go right to a stretching vine
with a red spring right below it. Spin dash into the spring and you will be sent flying up the ramp
and into the air; hold right hard. You should land in a tunnel in a cliff that leads to another giant
gold ring; if you don't land in the tunnel and land next to two see-saw mushrooms spin dash up
the cliff and enter the tunnel.

After another Special Stage bounce up on the invisible spring in the bottom of the ring chamber to
go up to the next level. Go right, jumping over the yellow spring pointing left (be careful not to
fall) and hit the Starpost. Continue right and use the pull-up machine to be pulled up to the next
level. Be sure that the chicken-like enemy on the ledge is not emitting a gust of wind when you
jump off the pull-up machine or you'll fall back down. Defeat the chicken and go right to a
dragonfly. Behind him, hidden behind the pole, are Speed Shoes. Get them, then use the
mushrooms to bounce up to the red spring pointing up and left. Hit it and then use the swing to
swing up and right, to the ledge. It may take a few attempts but you can try an infinite number of
times. On this ledge go right, and use the swinging pole to pick up speed.

Go through the loop but not too fast; if you go too fast you'll run right over the yellow spring
pointing up and right on the edge. Hit that spring, then hit the yellow spring on the wall (sorry,
this wall has no secret passages) and go down the twisting vine. You meet a chicken guarding a
corridor with another giant ring; defeat him and play a Special Stage. However, on the other side
of the corridor you find the zone dramatically changed - all the color is gone, but it's still the same
zone. Go right and hit the red spring to go through a loop. It sends you down to a lower level; go
right through a long series of loops. Eventually you go up a curved wall and encounter a
dragonfly; defeat him and go right to a pull-up machine. To the right of it is a chicken enemy and
behind it, another secret passage, leading to the last giant ring in Mushroom Hill Zone. If you've
found all seven giant rings in this zone, great job.

This chamber, though, has no way out to its right so you have to backtrack out. Grab the pull-up
machine and pull yourself up through the ceiling, until you reach the top. When you do go right
and defeat the dragonfly (be careful as he's in an awkward place). Use the see-saw mushrooms to
propel yourself up to a Starpost. Hit it and go right to a strange blue satellite dish. Jump on it and
it explodes, the zone turns back to its act 1 color, and you find yourself facing the boss.

Boss

This is a weird boss but most bosses and mid-bosses in this game, as mentioned in Section 3, are
not what you'd call normal. The critical part of the battle happens at the beginning, and you must
remember that once you jump on the satellite dish hold right and do not hold down the jump
button, as the dish is sitting on top of Dr. Robotnik's machine and if you just keep bouncing up
and down in place, you can get in up to five hits before he flies away, making the main battle
much easier. Be careful not to get hit yourself at this time. After Dr. Robotnik flies away chase
him and he'll continue flying away from you. You have to hit him when his thrusters are off
(unless you're lucky enough to have a Fire Shield making you immune). He periodically turns on
his thrusters and moves further away from you but then turns them off and moves into hitting
range. Jump and hit him quickly at this time. This whole time you'll be constantly running right
and he'll be flying right as if trying to get away from you. You also periodically pass wooden
poles with spikes in between them - jump over the spikes on the ground and don't jump into the
ones in the air. They usually alternate, at least for the first few poles. Try to hit Robotnik between
the poles. You can run on like this forever, until you die or defeat the boss. It can be a little tricky
to get used to jumping the spikes and hitting Robotnik, so don't get frustrated.

Eight total hits, counting the ones you get at the beginning, and Robotnik's machine will begin to
explode, and then crashes into a large tree and breaks apart with you conveniently running
through a hole in the tree. On the other side jump on the plunger on top of the animal prison and
it will break open releasing some trapped animal friends of yours. Congratulations on completing
the first zone! You will see, after your points are tallied, a huge airship flying overhead, with
Robotnik flying by in a cockpit very quickly repaired after his preceding defeat. You automatically
run right and grab onto the airship, whereupon you are taken to...

6b. Flying Battery Zone

The first zone in any Sonic game is usually a tropical paradise or something of the sort, and the
last zone is usually a metallic fortress, but the second zone is quite varied. Sonic & Knuckles takes
a bizarre turn here. You go from the peaceful forest of the first zone to fighting inside a giant
flying battleship's corridors, shafts and ducts. This place is highly mechanized and much, much
harder than Mushroom Hill Zone. In fact, it's very hard. It's also got very few giant rings (before
I read the Sonic 3 & Knuckles Quest for Emeralds FAQ, I had not found any giant rings in either
act of this zone!) and many different possible paths, some only accessible to Knuckles. This zone
also has the best music in the game - some of the best in any Sonic game, I think!

Act 1

You begin outside the flying battery in front of a jet device on the floor. Step on it to be sent
zipping up a curved wall into the flying battery, around a loop and down through a large purple
tube. When you come out go right to a platform; ride it down a shaft, then go left. You encounter
two robots on the floor that are mostly stationary but shoot fireballs out of their front and back
sides periodically. Watch out for them and grab onto the ceiling handles if you wish. To the left is
a flame thrower on the floor. Grab onto the ceiling handles above it and climb to the left one at a
time. The last one will lower you through the floor, to another flame thrower on the level below.
To reach the ceiling handles below and to your right you must jump onto the flame thrower and
then to the ceiling handles. It's a tricky jump but trying to jump directly will get you burned.
Again climb to the right and the last ceiling handle will lower you through the floor. On the level
below is a blue robot zipping back and forth across a section of floor. Jump off and defeat him
(watch out as he moves quickly and is low to the floor) and grab the Super Ring and Fire Shield
to the left.

Go right and you see two blue robots moving back and forth on the ceiling. Ignore them, but
jump just to the left of the leftmost extent of the left robot's range, where the floor above ends.
There's an invisible 1-UP in the ceiling. Grab it and proceed right outside the flying battery.
Watch out for three mines on the ledge that explode shortly after you walk by them. To the right
will be an abyss spanned by several platforms. This is a tricky part since falling down will kill you.
The platforms you must use to cross the gap are small and have propellers on their bottoms that
will hurt you. In the middle there is also a sequence of ceiling handles you must use to cross the
gap. Just jump from platform to platform slowly and carefully. When you make it across, on the
opposite ledge is a jet sled that will propel you back into the flying battery. Jump over the flame
thrower to the left to a Starpost. Note that all flame throwers, if you stand on them for a second,
spring you up, and a Fire Shield (only) will protect you from the flames.

To the left jump in the rotating purple tube. You'll rotate around the inside with it. There's a
series of three tubes partially linked together; time it so you pass between tubes without falling. If
you fall below these tubes are two animal prisons which break open to release rings! There are
many animal prisons scattered around this zone and they all do different things, some helpful,
some harmful, when you hit their plungers. After getting through the tubes spin dash up the
curved wall and jump on the flame thrower. Let it spring you up (if you've lost the Fire Shield be
careful of the flames). You'll run on the ceiling, then hit a jet sled that sends you up to some
ceiling handles. Climb to the one on the left and survey your next obstacle. To the left is a snake
of four round, connected blocks going in a square formation between four gray pipes, which you
can stand on. You need to get to the top left pipe. To do this, jump to the bottom right pipe, then
to the moving platform, then (when it moves up) to the top right pipe. Wait for the block snake,
then ride it across to the top left pipe (the blocks move counterclockwise).

From there jump to the block snake going around the four pipes above you when it comes by.
Ride it left to the bottom left pipe, then jump off and jump from the pipe to the ledge to the left. If
you don't have a Fire Shield be very careful of the flame thrower - try to jump on it and avoid
touching the flames. To the left is an animal prison. If you have a Fire Shield, fireball spin dash
over it. Otherwise you'll have to hit the plunger to get by it, which releases two fireball robots and
two blue mouse-like robots. To the left is another flame thrower; let this one spring you up and
back outside. Go right, being aware of mines on the floor, to an orange pole spinning around
quickly. Grab onto it. When you want to jump off and fly right, just press A, B or C. Avoid
touching the propellers on all these poles. On the second pole, climb up high enough to jump to
the next pole (watch out for missiles). Repeat this until you reach the sixth pole.

At this one, climb up as high as you can so you are right below the propeller (and I mean RIGHT
below). Then hold left and jump off. You'll fly left and grab onto the fifth pole above the propeller
(hopefully you'll be high enough and won't hit it). From there climb up and jump back to the sixth
pole. Climb it as high as you can, then jump off to the right. You should land on a ledge with a
Super Ring and a 1-UP. Grab them and drop down, and go left, jumping over the jet sled which
will send you back, and go back inside the flying battery. Run over some mines and ride the
platform down. Then go right to a magnetic ceiling. There will be two platforms with spikes on
their bottoms, as well as two enemies, that will all be sucked up to the ceiling when it turns on and
fall to floor when it's off. The enemies are helpless when on the ceiling so they're easy to defeat,
but watch out for the platforms - they can crush you if you're not careful. I recommend running
under them when they rise to the ceiling. Beyond this is a Starpost.

Hit the switch to your right to open the barrier and drop down through a purple tube. Press no
buttons and you'll land on the floor below. Magnetic ceilings will be to your left and right. To
your right will be three large spiked mines that will be sucked up when the ceiling turns on. Run
under them when they do, quickly, and jump over a fourth mine not below the magnetic ceiling.
Then you find a Super Ring and an Invincibility. When invincible, run left, past the mines and
some enemies below magnetic ceilings, to a series of curved walls. Spin dash up the first one. The
second two, spin dash and land on the block snake as it goes between the two pipes in the wall.
Just don't time it so the block snake crushes you. After these curved walls is a rotating wheel with
two chains of three blocks protruding from it, rotating. Jump onto the outermost block in either
chain when it rotates within range (it's a difficult jump) and ride it until you can jump to the ledge
to the upper left. Jump on the animal prison and it will spring you up to the next level.

Hit the jet sled and run through a loop and two purple tubes, but then slow down quickly. If you
run to the far right run back left quickly before the ledge collapses. Go back left until you see a
shaft leading up. Wait a moment and small gray ledges will appear out of the walls of the shaft, on
alternating sides. Jump to them being aware they disappear quickly, and climb up the shaft. It's
tricky to do and if you fall you must wait for the ledges to come out again before you can try
again. When you make it to the top the floor closes below you. Go right being very careful of a
flame thrower - it's hard to get by this one without getting hit. Go right to some spikes on the
floor. Jump over them and continue right to a 1-UP. Don't bother with the block snake mess
above you; go back left to the spikes. You can see a tube in the floor below them (even though I
played the act many times, I had no idea this was there until I read Sonic 3 & Knuckles Quest for
Emeralds FAQ!) Push the spikes to the right and you'll fall through the tube and land in a giant
ring chamber.

After a Special Stage walk right through a corridor and jump out. Go right to two magnetic
platforms with spikes between them. These rise to the ceiling when it turns on but not all the way,
so they are safe to stand on. You must jump to the first one, then the second one, then to the
ledge when it goes up without falling on the spikes. Take it slow. Go right, watching out for
mines, and the first set of spikes you see on the floor after the first two magnetic platforms covers
a tube. This is another one I never saw. Ignoring the magnetic platform to the right, push the
spikes to the right and drop through the tube, where you'll find another giant ring. After Special
Stage go right and walk out of the hallway, where you'll find five animal prisons in a row. The
second one releases some animals trapped inside; the others spring you up.

To the right are two magnetic platforms with spikes between them. They are too far apart to jump
between unless you use the ceiling handles between them. Now for a tough jump. From the
magnetic platform on the right when it rises, you must jump to the edge of one of the block
snakes rotating around the wheel to the right. It's very tough, since the magnetic platform is only
in the right place for a few seconds, and the ceiling impedes your jump. This will take many
attempts, but keep trying. Just don't open the animal prison to the right (it releases robots) and
don't get crushed by the magnetic platform as it comes down. When you finally make it onto the
wheel stay put until you come within range of the platform floating to your right. From there jump
to the higher wheel, then jump right to the ledge. Hit the Starpost and go right to an animal
prison. When you touch the plunger, it sprouts two enormous spiked balls and two eyes. It is...

Mid-Boss

This is the weirdest fight yet, with you battling a trap that looks like an animal prison. It also takes
some thinking to figure out how to damage this guy, as he's immune to all direct attack. Every so
often he sends one of his spiked balls (which other times float around to his upper left and upper
right on chains) homing in on you. To defeat him stand on his plunger and wait for his eyes to
blink; that's the signal that he's about to send a ball flying toward you. Then quickly run off the
plunger being careful not to touch a spiked ball. The spiked ball will hit the plunger, damaging
him. Repeat six times and you've won.

Act 2

Go right and hit the jet sled. You will be propelled to the top of a purple tube. Go right and
bounce up the shaft via the spring. At the top, hit another spring and go through a loop. When
you stop rolling go right and defeat two floor enemies. Three ceiling handles are above you. Grab
the left or right one and it will lower you through the floor. However, as soon as you go through
the floor, jump off and fall down in the middle, as there are spikes on either side the ceiling
handles will lower you into! If you successfully slip between them, pick up the Lightning Shield
and touch the jet sled below it. It will send you flying down a rotating purple tube. At the bottom,
stabilize yourself, then spin dash left up the wall and go left (watch out for mines). Hit the button
to open the barrier and ride the orange corkscrew pole down. The ledges that go down the pole
don't rotate, but watch out for the spikes to either side of the pole, and don't get crushed at the
bottom - get off when you see the next hallway. At the bottom go right to another corkscrew
pole. This time you will have an option of jumping off midway down to a hallway on the right but
ignore it and ride down to the bottom. At the bottom go left to a Starpost.

Spin dash up the wall left of the Starpost and try not to touch the plunger on the animal prison (it
contains enemies). Go left, open a barrier and ride a corkscrew pole up. At the top bounce up a
narrow shaft by means of two springs. At the top use the spring to bounce over the flame
thrower. Go right and be careful of two blue enemies waiting in the narrow passage. Further right,
left the claw on the ceiling grab you and take you through the rotating purple tube. Watch out; it
drops you on some mines. Run off them to the right and wait for the magnetic ceiling to turn on,
then run under the spiked balls on the floor as they get sucked up to the ceiling. Then press the
button and drop down (there's a series of ledges you can use to climb up a shaft but don't this
time). Go right to a loop and go through it, but then slow down. Walk over the bridge and it
collapses; drop down rather than go up the purple tube to the right.

Go right through a corridor and defeat the fireball-shooting enemy at the end. Jump on the block
sealing the tunnel and go down it. Roll around a large block on a chain as it moves in a half-circle.
You should be going quite fast and go up a ramp into the air. As soon as you leave the ramp, hold
right hard and you should (if you were going fast enough) land on a high ledge to the right. If you
miss it is possible, but difficult, to try again. If you make it go right and ride the corkscrew pole
up. When you see the way off to the right don't go there; jump into the left wall right above the
spikes. It is false, and there's a secret passage with a giant ring. After playing a Special Stage, go
back to the corkscrew pole and exit to the right. Press the button to open the barrier. Go right
past a Starpost and two magnetic platforms in a narrow corridor. Run under them when they rise
and be careful not to get crushed. Then open another barrier and cross the corkscrew pole by spin
dashing over after a ledge goes by.

Open the barrier and ride the corkscrew pole down. Go right and jump to the magnetic platform
when it rises up. When the magnetic platform goes back down jump off and go to the right.
You'll come to more magnetic platforms with spikes between them; use the ceiling handles to go
between them. Do the same with the next two magnetic platforms. Avoid the mines on the next
ledge and let the claw carry you through the purple tube. Go right, defeat the blue enemy on the
floor and grab the middle ceiling handle. It takes you down. Carefully jump on top of the flame
thrower without getting burned, then jump to the ceiling handles to the right. The far right one
takes you down. Open the barrier and drop down to a Starpost. Then go left through a corridor
with a magnetic ceiling; be careful not to get crushed by magnetic platforms. Defeat the fireball
robot and ride the corkscrew pole up. Then hit the jet sled to be sent up a purple tube.

At the top of the purple tube hold left hard. The wall to the left of the tube has a secret passage
leading to the last giant ring in this zone, but it's too high to reach from the ground without a
Lightning or Water Shield. To reach it if you don't make it on the initial propelling up from the
tube, you'll have to stand on the higher ledge to the right (next to the magnetic platform) and spin
dash left, jumping as soon as you release the spin dash. If you just try to jump you will not make
it. You must spin dash to reach the wall high enough. Luckily you can try as many times as you
want. Just don't get crushed by the magnetic platform to the right. After you finally make it and
play a Special Stage, use the two magnetic platforms to the right to reach the ledge to the right.
Go right into a room with a purple background, where you face...

Mini-Boss

This is not the boss of Flying Battery Zone - oddly enough, this zone has two bosses in act 2. The
first boss is a little similar to the boss of Sonic 2's Wing Fortress Zone at first glance, but is really
quite different. You'll be trapped in a room by two force fields, with Robotnik behind the right
force field controlling the laser eye on the ceiling. The laser eye follows you and eventually turns
purple; when it does that, it's about to shoot a laser beam down to the floor, so run out from
under it! Each time it misses, the force field on the left moves closer in, giving you less room and
making it harder the next time, but it shouldn't be too difficult to stay out from under the laser eye
when it fires. You can't jump high enough to damage it unless you have a Lightning or Water
Shield but after six misses, it'll self-destruct, Robotnik will run away, and you can go right to a
Starpost. (If you do have a Lightning or Water Shield you can hit the eye but it can take infinite
hits with no effect, so don't bother).

After you pass the Starpost you are in a new, albeit short, section of the act. A pillar falls behind
you and the floor starts rising. You now must perform a series of quick moves or you'll get
crushed by the floor. Jump up to the ledge and run right. When you come to a curved wall stop
and spin dash up the wall (charge up your spin dash a few times). At the top hit the red spring and
run left, around another curved wall. When you land on a yellow spring run right, jump over the
spikes, and go right to a Super Ring. Now you're safe. Wait for the floor to catch up with you
and stand on it so it carries you up the purple shaft (don't let it push you into the spikes). After
that the floor will rise into the sky; stand there are wait to meet the real boss.

Boss

This isn't too hard and is kind of fun. Fighting high in the sky on a narrow platform (the floor)
that spans the whole screen, Robotnik will fall from the sky in the center (so stay on either side)
and attach himself to the ledge with two large, spiked arms attached to his machine. He will then
begin slowly inching toward you like a monkey, climbing across the ledge with his spiked arms.
When he corners you either jump over him in one fell swoop or jump between his arms, then jump
over him. Watch out as if you land between his arms, he'll shoot a jet of flame up. After a while
he swings the cockpit of his machine up above the floor and that's when you hit him. He'll do it
four times at a time. You can get in two hits each time he swings above the floor but if you're a
beginner or unsure of yourself stick with one. It may be wise not to hit him the first time he
swings up as you may be out of position. Avoid touching his arms where they are attached to the
platform, of course. Eight hits will do him in. Run right and bust open the animal prison. Then run
right (automatically) and burst through a high door on the flying battery and into...

6c. Sandopolis Zone

Another radical change of scenery. This is the only real desert zone for any Genesis Sonic game.
Prepare to explore ancient buildings, jump in and out of quicksand pits and encounter a whole
host of booby traps as you make your way through here. The music here is pretty nice. Also note
that this is the only act in the game that does not have giant ring locations listed in TurboKiller's
FAQ (it is an uncompleted section) so I may well have missed some easy giant rings, especially as
there are seven total (according to Warrior of Zerona).

Act 1

You begin this act falling from the sky and into the sand. Jump out of the sand and go right. You
find a waterfall of sand slowly descending. Jump into it and jump repeatedly, several times, to
reach the top. At the top is a brown monolith that will crumble to dust if you jump on it (these are
common in both acts of this zone and serve no purpose so I won't mention them in the future).
To the right is a scorpion robot moving back and forth. These guys are a PAIN!! If they see you
they'll aim their 'stinger' (a small spiked ball) at where you're standing and most likely hit you,
especially if your movement is constricted. The best way to defeat them is to take them out from
behind or before they can use their stinger (they have to swing it back before they send it at you)
but that's not always possible. Watch out for these guys! Defeat this one by spin dashing into him
when he turns around (keep as far away as possible until he does) and go right to a block of
sandstone on a ledge. Push the block right off the ledge and it will go over the scorpion across
some tiny devices (its 'track'). Walk off the ledge onto the block once you push it off and ride it
across, and you won't have to worry about the scorpion below.

To the right, run over the pillar when it goes down (if you get crushed by this, you're either going
way too fast or aren't trying very hard) and slide down the slide of sand. Then slide down the
slide below it and you'll hit a yellow spring. Slow down, and go back left to the yellow spring.
Climb the sandfall next to it to find a Super Ring. Then go right (if you climb the sandfall you can
get back up to the slide but you can't climb up it - it's too strong). Eventually you'll pass some
pillars in the background and come to a cliff. Grab the handgrip hanging from the ceiling (beware;
the overhang collapses) and when you can, jump. You'll swing out over a wide area and cross a
quicksand pit easily on the handgrip. When you come to a stop jump off and go right. The pillar
cannot crush you so don't worry. When you come to a loop spin dash through it and you'll go
around twice, then go up. To the left is a floating pillar moving horizontally. If you jump to it and
ride it left you'll find two Super Rings.

Go right to a sandstone block. Push it off the ledge onto its track, then jump on it and ride it right.
You'll ride most of the way over a quicksand pit (really try to stay out of these pits; most have
two blue sand worms patrolling them, and if you sink too far in ones near the bottom of the act,
you die, but if you sink too far in one higher up you just fall through to a lower level). On the
other side jump onto the ledge on a chain hanging from the wall and it moves up in a half-circle.
Walk right but beware - that seemingly innocent monolith is an enemy in disguise. He can't hurt
you though; he just jumps up and walks back and forth with the monolith on his head and you can
spin dash through him to defeat him. Ahead is a scorpion. Stand on the level below it until it turns
around, then jump up and quickly spin dash or roll through him. Jump on the half-circle platform
and ride it up, then jump left to the moving pillar, and grab the Invincibility. Jump up two
sandfalls (if you slide down the sand slide left of the second one, you'll eventually find a Fire
Shield, but you'll have to climb back up to slide via the blocks sliding down it) and at the top, go
right. You meet another scorpion above a moving pillar in the ground; like other scorpions it's
best (but still very risky) to try to take him out when he turns around.

After this scorpion go right past a Starpost and slide down two sand slides. You land in a
quicksand pit; immediately jump to the right and don't fall through. Falling through won't kill you
but it will make a giant ring inaccessible (and make the path much harder). You'll be pushed right
back into the quicksand by a moving pillar with spikes on top. Trying to avoid the sand worms,
jump back out and when the pillar moves right, go right. Jump up the sandfall above the level of
the pillar and when it moves left, drop out. (Holding left or right in a sandfall will allow you to
slowly move left or right). Go right to a sandstone block on a ledge; push it onto its track and ride
it right. When the track appears to end and it drops to a lower track, at the last second, jump to
the right. Hopefully you'll land on the half-circle platform; ride it up and go right, jump up a
sandfall being wary of the scorpion, and go right to a giant ring. If you miss the jump you cannot
try again short of dying on purpose; but if you proceed right you'll regain the path soon enough.

From the giant ring room, go right past a moving pillar and drop down. Now you must climb up a
sand slide by means of stone blocks sliding down it; it's pretty self-explanatory, just don't touch
the sand slide or you'll slide back down. Once at the top continue right under a large sandfall in
the foreground and hit the yellow spring. Go around a loop twice, then up to two sandfalls going
UP. These defy the laws of physics but you can ride them; just watch out for the spikes between
them. After these two bizarre sandfalls go right under a spiked pillar moving up and down (watch
out as one of the monoliths is an enemy in disguise) and grab the handgrip hanging from the
ceiling. When you can, jump and you'll swing all the way over to the right wall. Jump again and
when you come to a stop, jump off. To the left is a small passage guarded by a scorpion with a
Super Ring and a Lightning Shield. Grab them if you want, then push the sandstone block onto its
track and ride it over the quicksand.

After the quicksand go right, watching out for another scorpion, and hit the yellow spring. Go
right to a string of orange spheres which will bounce you up quite high and far. Land in the
sandfall and jump up it being very careful of the scorpion at the top (it's very hard to pass by him
without getting hit). To the left destroy the monolith; below it is a spring that will bounce you up
to two Super Rings. Then go right and jump to the half-circle platform; it will carry you up to a
Starpost. Pass it and grab the handgrip. This time you'll need to jump many times to climb down a
wall. Keep jumping out (you cannot control your movements when on one of these handgrips)
until you reach the bottom. There's nothing to the left so push the sandstone block onto its track
and ride it right. You'll need to jump to it once you get it moving. At the end of the block's track
you can jump to a half-circle platform moving on its own, but don't; drop into the quicksand
instead. Quickly jump over to the corridor to the right without sinking.

In this corridor a scorpion is waiting for you. Stand as far away as possible until he turns around,
then spin dash through him. Jump when a wall of sand appears before you and it will dissolve.
Bounce under the pillar when it goes up and you'll go up a small ramp, and be sent into two
sandfalls going up. Cross through them and get to the right ledge, be careful of the scorpion and
get down to the string of bouncy spheres. Bounce into a sandfall on the ceiling that curves and
goes horizontally, and ride it to its end. When you come to the end jump down and go right, to
two pillars side by side that can crush you. When they recede jump by them and go right to a
scorpion. Defeat him and ride the two half-circle platforms up. Follow the path being careful of
spikes and ride another half-circle platform. Go left under the pillar and back outside. Go through
the loop twice and be sent up; then bounce on the red spring on the left wall. Bounce over the
scorpion on the next level and land on the half-circle platform. Ride it up and go right. When you
come to a ledge jump right to a handgrip (beware; the overhang collapses).

Rappel down the wall and at the bottom, go right over a pillar that can't crush you. Pass a
Starpost, run under a spiked pillar and grab another handgrip. Rappel down the wall and go left to
a Super Ring (hidden behind the wall in the doorway). Then go right, jump through the quicksand
pit, and go right to a flat area. An enormous pyramid rises from the earth in the background. Out
of a door in the pyramid emerges...

Mid-Boss

This is the strangest boss battle in the game. The mid-boss is a stone statue that doesn't even look
like a robot, and has no weapons, but jumps toward you. You can knock him back into his shell
form by jumping and hitting his head but cannot hurt him this way. To defeat him you must lure
him to the left and get him to jump in the quicksand pit. That's the only way to defeat him. Stand
on the edge of the pit until he gets close, then jump into the pit and jump continuously to avoid
sinking. Make sure you're far enough away so that he doesn't jump on you (although he can't
crush you if he does jump on you; he merely damages you). He will jump into the quicksand and
blow up. After your points are tallied you go inside the pyramid (automatically) for act 2.

Act 2

This entire act is inside a pyramid, and it's one of the longest acts in the game. In addition to
everything familiar from act 1, there are two other things I wish to explain that are very common
in this act. One is the large black levers on the floor you'll find. These open stone doors when you
push them all the way, but after you push them, they slowly reset back to their original position,
closing the door. So you have to push the lever and then quickly get through the door before it
closes. There's a very distinct sound like heavy blocks shifting when one of these levers resets.

The other new thing is more complicated. This pyramid is haunted by ghosts who are trapped in
an animal prison you are forced to open (early in the act). Once released the ghosts will initially
not be on the screen. If you wait a while, a small one will appear but just floats around; he poses
no threat to you. Wait a while longer and two larger ghosts will appear, and the pyramid will
become substantially darker. This is a 'warning' phase. If you wait even longer the pyramid will
turn black as night, and many large ghosts will appear and disappear, and start swooping down at
you. Not only can they hurt you now, btu it's very hard to see. Luckily you can avert this
sequence of events by grabbing light handles, which hang from the ceiling, periodically. If you
grab a light handle the pyramid will return to full light and all ghosts will disappear, but the
sequence repeats itself unless you grab another light handle later. These light handles are scattered
throughout the act and you can use each one an infinite number of times to scare away ghosts.
Just always grab a light handle when you see one since they can be rather far apart, and move
briskly, don't hurry, but don't dawdle either. You need to keep a good pace up in this act. The
best way to avoid trouble with the ghosts is to grab light handles frequently and prevent the
pyramid from ever reaching its 'warning' phase, if you can. Prevention is the key.

Okay, begin the act by heading right, jump over the moving pillar, and grab the light handle (even
though there are no ghosts yet). Continue right to a quicksand pit. Jump to dissolve the sand wall
and cross the pit being very careful of sand worms. Another light handle is above the pit. Right of
the pit is your first black lever. Push it right to open the door ahead of you, and when you've
pushed it as far as you can, run right as fast as possible. Run into the string of spheres to be
bounced up and left; quickly jump up the sandfall you land in. At the top run left and if you were
quick enough, you'll make it under the door before it closes. The area behind it has a Lightning
Shield and another lever to reopen the door. You only get one chance to get in there. Really try to
make it since the Lightnign Shield is necessary to reach the first giant ring. Once you get the
Lightning Shield (or even if you don't) go right, through a loop. You'll hit a spring and land on
the animal prison that releases the ghosts; you can't avoid it.

Go right and grab the light handle above the spikes. Push the black lever to the right to open the
door and slide down the sand slide. When you slide off onto another slide sliding left, jump up the
slide fighting the flow. This is only possible with the Lightning Shield's double-jump ability, and
even then is hard. You need to jump almost as soon as you touch the sand slide so you don't get
any momentum going left. Keep trying and time your double jump to gain the maximum amount
of air. When (and if) you make it to the top, go right, down another sand slide, to a giant ring.
After a Special Stage go left and soon you'll find yourself on the same sand slide you were on
before. These sand slides repeat if you fail to make the jump from one to the other. Wheat yo
must do is jump from the sand slide going left to the one going right where they intersect, near
where a half-circle platform is moving. It's tricky to time but is easier with the Lightning Shield.

If you miss don't worry; these sand slides repeat forever, though it can get a bit confusing. The
real problem is that there are no light handles here so if you miss too many times the ghosts will
start to come after you. You need to make two jumps from one slide to the other, I think, then
you slide down past a Starpost and up to a light handle. This is a confusing section so I hope you
get through it quickly; just keep trying to jump from one sand slide to the other and go right, not
left. After you finally get to the Starpost go right to a black lever. Here comes another tricky part.
Push the lever all the way then run right as fast as you can. Run up to the bouncy spheres and
bounce left to a sand block. Immediately push it onto its track and get on it. When riding the
block charge a spin dash (ignore the light handle, for once) and when you get close to the end of
the track, release your spin dash. Hopefully you'll make it under the closing door. If you don't go
back and push the lever again; the block should be back where it started if you go far enough
away and come back. It seems like you won't make it but you can if you go fast enough.

After this door jump right to the half-circle platform moving on its own. Grab the handgrip and
quickly rappel down the wall (before the ghosts come back). At the bottom push the black lever
to the right, but stop at the light handle before continuing. (Note: the whole next area must be
done quickly, so the ghosts do not get too large). Go right, ride two half-circle platforms up, and
go under the moving pillar. Bounce up on the springs before the door closes (this one closes
horizontally). A scorpion awaits you on the next ledge. Defeat him when he turns around, then go
right under a spiked pillar when it goes up. Go through a loop, bounce on some bouncy spheres,
then go through another loop and two sandfalls. Pass the Starpost and go right, bounce over a
stationary pillar, and push the black lever. Run under the spiked pillar, ride the half-circle platform
and grab the light handle (finally!) Then jump onto the moving pillar and go through the door
before it closes. Hit the stopper on the ceiling in the next corridor and the pyramid begins to fill
up with sand. The next part involves climbing up fast enough to outrun the sand and not get
crushed.

Run left and let the rising sand carry you up. When you can quickly run left through a corridor
and get to the far left. You can't br crushed against the moving pillar to the far left. Ride the sand
up, then ride the half-circle platform (don't worry; the sand will have stopped rising temporarily)
up to a black lever. Push it to open the door; run through and hit the stopper to restart the sand.
This time it's much harder to outrun. Run to the right and let it carry you up. Jump to grab the
light handle just long enough to eradicate the ghosts, then quickly run right to an open area. Stay
to the left (there's a Super Ring and Speed Shoes to the right but they're not worth getting). Let
the sand carry you up past a moving pillar with spikes on the bottom. This time, the sand will not
stop, so as soon as possible, jump over the pillar and go right. Push the black lever to open the
doors above you before you get crushed against them by the sand. Then run right through the
corridor with spikes on the ceiling as quickly as possible.

When you come to a vertically moving pillar stop, wait for it to come down, and jump on it. Ride
it up and push the black lever. Quickly run through the door (the 1-UP in the top left corner is not
worth getting) and through the corridor. If you're fast enough you can grab two Super Rings
before they are buried in the sand. Luckily, the sand will stop, for good, here. Ride the half-circle
platform over to a light handle above some spikes. To the right is a lever that opens a door, but
this one closes extremely quickly, so you must quickly jump through after pushing the lever. Run
right under a moving pillar, defeat a scorpion, and when you come to a ledge, slow down, and
ride the half-circle platform over to a handgrip. Rappel down the wall as quickly as possible and at
the bottom, go right, jumping over a spiked pillar and going under a large sandfall. Bounce up to
a light handle and jump over some spikes. (Note: the next section must be done quickly as the
next light handle is a ways away). Be careful of the scorpion ahead; go through a loop and get
bounced down onto a moving pillar. Jump left to another moving pillar and go left without falling
in the quicksand.

Jump over a moving pillar and grab the handgrip. You'll swing between two walls several times;
make each jump as quickly as possible. At the bottom jump off and run right, past a Starpost,
onto a sand slide. Slide down two sand slides in a row and after the second one, you'll get flung
high in the air. Go right over a moving pillar to a light handle, at last. After turning the lights back
on go back left, spin dashing up the curved wall, onto the moving pillar. Jump to the one moving
horizontally and then to the ledge above. Bounce right with the spheres and go right to a black
lever. Push the lever all the way and do the next section as quickly as possible! Jump on top of the
lever and then jump to the half-circle platform. Ride it up, then hit the stopper to partially fill the
area below with sand. Drop down past the horizontally moving pillar and run through the partially
closed door. Go right, jumping off the light handle if you grab it by accident, and quickly run
under the moving pillar. To the right will be a gap with a closing door on the other side of it.

Jump over the gap and through the door, if you were fast enough to make it before it closes.
Behind the door is a light handle, a lever to reopen the door, and a giant ring, the last in this zone.
This is a tough giant ring to reach and you can't try again if you miss it (short of dying on
purpose). After (hopefully) another crack at the Special Stage, go back through the door and drop
down to a Starpost. Push the lever and drop through the rapidly closing door before it closes, and
in the area below, go right to the boss (don't worry; the ghosts will go away).

Boss

This is another off the wall boss - literally. The boss is a huge orange brick statue that emerges
from the right wall and lumbers forward slowly, alternately extending his two stone arms. One is
in the background and one is in the foreground. When the one in the foreground extends jump
onto it (you can't stand on the one in the background or be hurt by it). Being careful not to touch
the spikes on the end of the arm or on the robot's chest, jump and hit it above the spikes. The
tricky part of this battle is hitting the boss and landing back on his arm without touching the
spikes. It takes practice. When you hit it the bricks fly away revealing Robotnik's cockpit. Hit that
as many times as you can (in practice about twice) before the bricks come back, then repeat the
pattern. If you're bold you can hit him several times on one extension of the arm. The machine is
slowly advancing and eventually will crush you against the left wall, but you'd have to be really
slow for that to happen. Sometimes the laser eye at the top of the statue powers up; I'd ignore it
and hit the bricks since that will deactivate it, but if you don't hit it quickly, it'll fire a laser beam
down at you. Be sure to always hit the bricks from the arm as you can't reach them from the
floor. Eight hits to Robotnik's cockpit does him in. Go right and smash open another animal
prison. Then you automatically walk right and fall down, into...

6d. Lava Reef Zone

The game turns the heat up in this zone - both literally, because it is set in a volcano, and not
literally, because the game definitely gets harder from now on. Although there is very little lava in
the second act of this zone until the boss, there is plenty of fire. So in both acts, get and HOLD
ON TO Fire Shields. They will make your life much easier. Avoid collecting other Shields in
Bonus Stages if you can. Also, this is the last zone with any giant rings, so if you want to collect
all the Chaos Emeralds, you've got to do it here. Both acts of this zone have great music.

Act 1

This act is about moving through caves and tunnels in an active volcano. You begin by falling
down and some ledges collapse. When you get to the bottom spin dash right to bust through some
rocks, and roll under three stalactites that will try to fall on you. When you stop at a door press
the switch next to it to open the door. Cross the lava lake (be aware that the rocks you must use
as stepping stones sink if you stay on them more than a second). After this two robot worms will
pop out of the wall in the background and start floating left. These worms are only vulnerable in
the head and can be quite annoying. Defeat them or avoid them and climb the staircase. As you
climb watch out for flame shooters to the left. At the top is a Lightning Shield. Not as good as a
Fire Shield, but it's better than nothing. Take it and go right past a worm, to a more open area.
Go down the incline and over the tiny lava lake. You encounter a rock that is an enemy in
disguise. He can't hurt you if you touch him, but he flashes once you get close enough to reveal
him, and explodes after a few seconds, sending out many smaller rocks. Any Shield will deflect
these rocks; keep a good distance from these guys if you don't have any Shield. Cross the next
lava lake via two collapsing ledges.

To the right is a device creating a white cloud and before it, a strange rock on the ground. The
rock will sink into the ground when you step on it and you'll bounce up on a hidden spring. Get
the twelve rings in the air and land on the ledge to the right, where two Super Rings are guarded
by a poison gas device like the one below. These machines are stationary and create a white cloud
of poison gas which floats away from the machine if you don't defeat it quickly. Defeating one is
simply a matter of jumping on it without touching the poison gas. After collecting the Super Rings
jump to the ledge on the left. A spiked ball will be rolling back and forth, tearing up the ground.
Jump over it to find a 1-UP and drop back down. Go back right, jump over the hidden spring and
destroy the poison gas machine. Spin dash right through the rocks, and rotate downward around a
pole. At the bottom run left and fly up the ramp over the lava lake. You come to another lava lake
with a torrent of lava that periodically falls into it from above. Being very careful of the spikes
that retract and extend, stand on the edge of the lava lake and jump over after a torrent falls.

Go left, jumping past the exploding rock, and bounce up on a spring. Jump right to a Starpost, a
Super Ring and a Fire Shield. Hold onto that Fire Shield as long as you can. Go left (watch out
for swinging spiked balls on the ceiling) and defeat the green robot on the wall to open the door
(he shoots bullets at you but any Shield will deflect them). To the left in the cave is a strange
device on a conveyor belt. Stand on it and spin dash left, just spin dash, don't release. This will
cause the device (called a spin dash machine) to move down the conveyor belt. Spin dashing right
will cause it to move up. Once it reaches the bottom release the spin dash and go right, being
careful of two lava worms. Press the button to open the door but beware of the exploding rock in
front of the door. Go slowly; a rotating spiked ball on a chain is ahead. Carefully run past it and
jump past the torrent of lava (if you have a Fire Shield, it can't hurt you). Go right past an
exploding rock, and open the door.

Ahead is a giant drilling machine that will start drilling the floor. You can hit it but that will have
no effect so stay as far away as possible. After a few seconds it will cause a large section of floor
to collapse and fall through. If you stay to the left you won't fall with the floor. Jump over the
large gap and do a fireball spin dash (if you've lost the Fire Shield, you'll have to do a regular spin
dash and jump to get enough speed) to get across. Behind where the drilling machine was is a 1-
UP. Take it and drop down into a lava lake. If you don't have a Fire Shield you'll get hit unless
you're lucky enough to land on a rock. Go to the right, over rocks if necessary, and out of the
lava lake (there's a Super Ring to the left). Hit the button to open the door and climb the steps in
the cave. Avoid a falling stalactite and exploding rock, and ride the spin dash machine up. If you
don't have a Fire Shield beware of the flame shooter at the top. At the top of the spin dash
machine's conveyor belt, walk left. You'll walk into a secret passage leading to a giant ring.

After a Special Stage go right and spin dash through the rocks. Jump over the exploding rock.
You come to a broad red platform with spikes on the bottom moving up and down in a shaft.
When it falls walk on top of it (be very careful of these devices; they can easily crush you). Jump
through the right wall near the top of the platform's motion and you'll find another giant ring, just
like that! Below the giant ring is a Super Ring and another passage in the wall. Just don't get
caught under the spiked platform. Ride it up after Special Stage and jump to the ledge above.
Watch out for the swinging spiked ball. Jump on the spiked platform (be very careful) and ride it
up. Climb the ledges and go right up a staircase. Hit the button and go back outside. Jump on
another moving spiked platform. If you don't have a Fire Shield get the Lightning Shield to the
left; if you do pass it up. If you jump to the ledge on the right at the top of the platform's motion
and walk through the right wall, you'll come to a dead-end passage full of rings. Loot it, then
drop back down and go right on the main path.

(I won't mention exploding rocks from now on, since you should have a Shield most of the time,
if you don't be careful of them). Spin dash through the rocks, bounce up on the springs to get
some rings, and hit the Starpost. Walk left and when the ledge collapses, jump left to find a Fire
Shield, if you lost the first one. This is the last one in the act so guard it well. Drop through the
collapsing ledge and go right, over a bridge. Hit the red spring to bounce up to a higher path.
Don't go on the lower path. On the higher path is a rolling spiked ball. If you jump over it you can
find a Super Ring and a Lightning Shield but they aren't worth getting. Move right and jump on
the spiked platform. Being careful when it moves up not to get squashed against the spikes, ride it
up and jump to the spin dash machine on the left. Ride it up and go left to find 15 rings and a 1-
UP. Drop down and carefully run over the spiked platform when it comes down.

To the right is a poison gas machine. If you touch the poison gas it will engulf you and start
stealing your rings, one a second, and inhibit your ability to jump. Luckily, unlike water piranha in
Sonic 3, you can escape by jumping in rapid succession several times. To the right is another
moving spiked platform; jump on it and ride it up. Get the Super Ring to the right guarded by a
poison gas machine. Then jump up to the left, spin dash through the rocks, and climb the staircase
with four exploding rocks. At the top go right and climb the staircase, avoiding the two flame
shooters if you don't have a Fire Shield. At the top jump over the rolling spiked ball and go right,
crossing a lava lake via two collapsing ledges. Go right avoiding exploding rocks, falling
stalactites, lava worms and poison gas machines, to a shaft of collapsing ledges. Drop down to the
bottom but beware of the last collapsing ledge; it has lava under it.

Go left in this lower tunnel, spin dashing under the spiked platform when it goes up. Ride the spin
dash machine to the left down. Go right, under two falling stalactites. Ahead in your path is a
poison gas machine. It's best not to defeat this one, but oddly enough, you can spin dash right
through a cloud of poison gas and it won't stick to you. Do that here. Continue; the path is fairly
obvious, just watch out for many obstacles and enemies blocking your way. Ride a spin dash
machine down and at the bottom, spin dash left to clear a tunnel blocked by rocks. At the end of
the tunnel go right. Backtrack a little to find the switch to open the door. Pass a Starpost and go
right to the mid-boss.

Mid-Boss

This is fun. Instead of one specific mid-boss, you'll be fighting three separate enemies. You must
defeat two cannon orbs on chains and a huge, three-fingered hand to win this battle. The two
cannon orbs come up first. Stand in the center since they come up on either side, then run under
one of them (I prefer the right one). Jump and hit them when they come up and down. If you have
no Shield, jump and do an Insta-Shield at the peak of your jump and you can damage them when
they are extended to the top. You can do this even easier if you have a Lightning Shield or Water
Shield. However, if you have a Fire Shield, you can only damage them when they come up and
down, but don't lose your Shield on purpose; hold onto it as long as you can. If you lose it, then
start hitting the orbs when fully extended. The orbs rise to the top of the screen and fire off three
fireballs each, one at a time, left orb first. If you have a Shield these will be harmlessly deflected.
Otherwise stay under one orb - its fireballs can't reach you there, and when the other orb fires,
carefully jump over its fireballs. The uneven ground makes this a bit trickier. After firing, the orbs
descend. They take four hits each to destroy, and if you're quick, you can get those hits in two
appearances, but don't hurry.

After the orbs go down a huge robotic three-fingered hand rises and follows you across the
screen. Run back and forth trying to stay away from it - it can't hurt you, but after a while it stops
moving and attempts to slam down on you. Make sure you are not in front of it when this
happens. After slamming down it remains stuck to the ground for a second, then goes off the
screen. You must hit it when it's stuck to the ground after it slams. Your window of time is very
short and you're usually out of position, so it's hard to get more than one hit at a time. Just be
patient and avoid carelessness. The hand and the orbs alternate appearances unless one has been
destroyed. The hand takes six hits to beat, and once you destroy both the hand and the orbs, you
win.

Act 2

This game's zones usually have act 2 different substantially from act 1, and that trend continues in
Lava Reef Zone. After defeating the mid-boss, the lava in the background cools and the volcano
becomes dormant. Act 2 is set in a bright blue, crystal, phosphorescent cavern with many traps. It
also has a very unusual (and hard) section before the boss, but that's getting ahead of myself.
Start by going right over a flat stretch. Your first obstacles is a flame thrower that periodically
shoots a jet of fire over an area you need to jump past. When it switches off for a second, jump
by. There are a lot more flame throwers to come, however. Proceed right to a closed door with a
switch. However, don't open the door with the switch; jump on top of the switch instead. From
there climb into a secret area (watch out for the flame thrower to the left) with a red spring that
sends you around a half-loop. When running around the half-loop, jump. It may take a few tries,
but you should eventually get the Fire Shield on the ledge. Keep this as long as you can - it
protects you from only the flame throwers in this level, not lava, but invulnerability to the flame
throwers is a big plus.

Go right to an exploding rock and a lava worm. Drop down to the two moving blocks and go
right. Avoid the flame thrower above the path and jump to the moving block rather than
continuing right. Jump to a series of moving platforms and at the last one, go right. You can jump
up and go left but that's a different path altogether. To the right is a flame thrower on the floor -
jump over it when it turns off if you've already lost the Fire Shield. Defeat the two lava worms
and continue right. Go slowly to avoid two flame throwers. Follow the path until you come to a
wall you must spin dash through; do so and bounce up on the red spring to the bottom right. Land
on the moving block above you and when it moves left, jump into the left wall. On level with the
top of the block is a secret passage leading to a giant ring. After a Special Stage you will fall
through a hidden hole in the ring chamber. Go right, drop down and head left.

To the left drop through the floor. In the next passage there are two spiked balls on the floor.
They make a noise of powering up and start flashing faster and faster, then bounce up in the air.
Jump over them between firings. Proceed right to three flame throwers in a row. They all work in
synchrony so jump over them when they all turn off, and continue. Open a door with the switch
and go back into the caves. Your next obstacle is a conveyor belt that moves yellow and purple
platforms around a track. Jump onto one (beware of the spikes on their bottoms) and ride it
around. To the right at the top is the path ahead, but wait for the platform to move to the crest of
the conveyor belt, and jump left. High on the left wall is a secret passage leading to another giant
ring. Play a Special Stage, then return to the platforms and take the passage to the right. Go right
until you come to a Starpost.

Jump up to the ledge to the right and ride the moving platform left. Climb up on two stationary
ledges that have spiked balls rotating around them (being careful of the spiked balls). Go left,
jump over the spiked ball on the ground, and run under the moving block that's made to crush
you. Jump over two spiked balls and avoid a rotating one, and open the door. Spin dash through
the poison gas machine and jump over two flame throwers. Continue left to a yellow spring. Just
to the left of it is a flame thrower on the ceiling guarding a Fire Shield. If you lost the first one
jump past the flame thrower carefully and snare it. Then bounce up to another conveyor belt of
moving platforms, and ride it up. At the top you'll have a choice of going left or right. Go right
and spin dash through a corridor with three poison gas machines, then jump past a flame thrower.

Open the door and go right two a large rotating cylinder. It has spikes and tow places where you
can grab on. Grab onto the one of the left and start rotating around. As you are just starting to go
up, jump. You need to time it right so you get a slingshot effect to fly up higher. If you don't go
up high enough, you can keep trying as long as you need. Swing up to the handgrips of another
rotating cylinder, then up to the floor above. This can take a while. On the floor above bounce on
the spring and land on the moving platforms. From the one on the right jump into the right wall -
it has another secret passage with another giant ring. After yet another Special Stage backtrack
out and go back to the main path. You'll be blocked by three moving blocks; just get between
them and get past them as they move (don't worry, it's very difficult to be crushed by these
blocks). Continue right and spin dash through a weak wall.

In the next passage down you'll go through a strange, almost 3-D tunnel and fly right on a ramp.
Go left down some stairs slowly. At the bottom of the staircase drop down but hug the right wall.
You'll enter a secret passage in it. Be careful since there's a pit of spikes to the left. Left of the
spikes there's a Super Ring and a Lightning Shield. Decide if they're worth getting. The secret
passage in the right wall leads to the last giant ring in the game. Play your last Special Stage, then
press the button in the ring chamber to open the wall to the right. Go right and back to the main
path (you just took a small shortcut). Watch out for the flame thrower on the floor and go right to
a Starpost. Open the door to the right of the Starpost and head outside the caves for the last time.
You'll encounter lava for the first time in this act; jump over the two lakes of it (beware, the
ledges collapse). Also beware of the exploding rock. Jump to a ledge with a spiked ball rotating
around it, then ride the moving platform up. Go left, jumping over two flame throwers.

To the far left is a yellow spring. Bounce on it and run right across the ceiling. Jump off so you
land on the wide moving platform (moving horizontally). Be sure to press left when you land so
you don't walk right off. Landing on this moving platform will take several attempts. From the
moving platform jump right to a ledge with a spiked ball, then ride another moving platform up,
and jump over a gap. Finally you're on a long walkway. Go right and climb several sets of stairs.
In the background you'll see the bottom part of the Death Egg stuck in the ceiling (you're below
it at this point). Part of the walkway collapses; don't fall or you'll lose a life. At the top of the
staircase you meet... Knuckles. He pushes a huge blue boulder off and it tumbles down the stairs
and into the abyss, taking you with it.

Boss Area

Get ready for the hardest part of the game yet. This is still the second act of Lava Reef Zone, and
you're still a ways away from the boss, but the boss music plays from now on. The gauntlet of
danger you must get through to reach the boss, as well as the boss himself, are extremely difficult.
In many places, one false jump will kill you. There is also forced scrolling in this part. Be prepared
to lose quite a few lives here and keep in mind that if you can get through, the next few levels are
relatively easy. You begin by falling from the sky into the very depths of the volcano. Hold right
as you fall. You land on a walkway above lava. Then, suddenly in a flash of light, Robotnik re-
activates the volcano. The whole area turns red and orange and the middle of the walkway simply
disappears. Robotnik floats onto the screen in a ship toting missiles, which he launches. Then the
screen starts moving right at a fast clip. A white crosshairs appears on the platform you're on and
missiles start hitting it, the second missile blowing it to bits, so quickly jump to the next platform
over the lava. Soon it gets targeted as well so keep moving. Avoid collapsing ledges (you should
be able to identify them by sight) and avoid falling in the lava at all costs.

After four platforms get blown up you're past the missiles but the screen keeps moving. Go right
and climb a staircase (if you're too slow and get left behind by the screen, you either get pushed
ahead by it or die; I'm not sure which). At the top of the staircase are several collapsing ledges.
You must use these to cross an abyss (jump quickly, of course) that will kill you if you fall into it.
Then you pass a Starpost and face the hardest part of the whole section. To the right is a huge
lava fall (like a waterfall) with pink platforms of lava rock moving down it. You must jump to the
right across these small platforms (not much wider than yourself) as they move down and the
screen moves right, making each jump precise as can be. A fall will kill you. These jumps are very
hard so don't get frustrated. When and if you make it across to the fourth platform, the worst is
behind you. Ride the fourth platform as it goes down (you'll no longer die) until you find some
solid ledges midway up the lava fall. To the right is a Lightning Shield. Ignore it if you have a Fire
Shield, otherwise grab it. Make your way left across the ledges, collecting rings on each one. The
last ledge holds a Fire Shield in plain sight, bless the programmers! Grab it and ride the platforms
to the left down to the lake of lava at the bottom of the volcano. Once your platform lands on the
lava you will face...

Boss

This boss is very difficult. Robotnik has managed to do the impossible and come up with a lava
submersible that can freely pop in and out of the lava. He first pops up in the right corner. He
does not move but he does cause the lava to tilt and flow towards him. This entire battlefield is
lava: lava you're fighting on and a background of falling lava. You begin with a Fire Shield but
you may lose it. The best advice I can give you is KEEP THAT FIRE SHIELD AS LONG AS
YOU CAN!! It will protect you from the lava completely, but you still must avoid contact with
Robotnik and his spiked mines. If you lose the Fire Shield from touching one of the above you
will have to stay on the platforms as they move on the lava, which is very difficult. When
Robotnik's submersible makes the lava flow towards him the pink platforms do as well, shattering
when they hit him. If you don't have a Fire Shield you must constantly jump left to the next
platform (an endless stream of them comes from the left) to avoid getting impaled against
Robotnik. It's almost as hard as the section above (which, by the way, you have to do all over
again if you die) and you must make extremely accurate leaps very quickly.

To make matters even worse Robotnik will shoot three mines out of the top of his submersible
and they will land on the far left, and float back towards Robotnik along with the platforms.
Avoid contact with them as well as the lava. When they hit Robotnik they damage him. Yes, this
is another boss you cannot directly hurt - you simply need to stay alive long enough for enough
mines to strike him, and he will self-destruct. Unfortunately, eight hits are not enough to crack
this touch submersible - fourteen mines must strike him. After every third mine he goes back
under the lava. If you don't have a Fire Shield stay on the platform in the center, as he'll pop back
up on the left side, and repeat the sequence but from the other direction. You must survive four
and a half sequences to win. While you have the Fire Shield just concentrate on jumping over the
mines as they float toward you and ignore the platforms, and if you lose it, concentrate only on
jumping from platform to platform - don't even worry about the mines.

Also keep alert and don't let Robotnik pop up underneath you. Robotnik is immune to all attack
so don't even think about trying to hit him. Just retain a ring for as long as you can, keep jumping,
and pray. Eventually you should come out on top. After you win stand on the middle platform -
don't touch the lava even after defeating Robotnik. The prison egg will float from the ceiling; nice
touch! When it floats above you and is low enough jump and hit the plunger. Time it right or you
might get pushed into the lava. After your points are tallied, the lava cools once again, and you
can walk across it to the right, into...

6e. Hidden Palace Zone

As soon as you notice there is no 'act 1' annotation at the beginning of this zone, you'll know this
is no ordinary zone. It is an extremely short zone with only one act, no secrets, and no real boss.
It does have some story development, however. This zone looks much like Lava Reef Zone, act 2,
but is in a palace instead of a cave. It even has the same music as that act. Just proceed - there's
no secrets and only one path, and nothing to watch out for other than a few spikes here and there.
Just follow the path and bounce up on springs until you encounter a teleporting device in a room
(it looks pink). There's a Super Ring to the right if you jump over it. After taking it, stand on the
center of the device and you will be automatically 'beamed' up, Star Trek style, to another level.
After this cool experience go right, past a Starpost, into a room where you will fight Knuckles.

Knuckles is pathetically easy, but you might get hit a few times. The key to beating him is to stay
away from his knuckles. He begins in the right corner. Jump on him. When you jump on him it's
important to immediately jump away yourself to avoid being next to him when he recovers. He
has two attacks: spin dashing at you and gliding across the room. When he is spin dashing he is
invulnerable - avoid being in his way or jump over him, if you can. Hit him when he is standing
still. When he glides across the room hit him from below. Hit the back half of him - do not touch
his knuckles or you will get hit. Often he simply glides several times in a row and you can just
whack him from below each time, making the battle a cinch. Just don't touch his knuckles and
don't touch try spin dashing or rolling into him. He'll be defeated in a short time.

After taking eight hits Knuckles is knocked out for a moment, but then some explosions happen
to the right, and he regains his senses and runs right. Follow him into the emerald room in the
palace. You'll see seven empty pedestals (if you're playing Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles locked
on, they may have Chaos Emeralds in them; see Section 8) and at the top of the room, the Master
Emerald. Then Knuckles jumps up to the Master Emerald just as Robotnik shows up and grabs it
with a grabber at the bottom of his ship. Knuckles now realizes at last that he's been tricked and
Robotnik, not you, is the one trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds, but it's too late - Robotnik has
stolen the Master Emerald. Knuckles runs right to try and stop him, and you follow automatically.
Knuckles jumps and grabs onto the Master Emerald but Robotnik zaps him with two electric
devices from his ship, knocks him off the Master Emerald, and flies away. The floor collapses and
you fall into a prison cell. Knuckles is dizzy for a moment but shortly regains his senses and
bashes down the door to the cell. Follow him left to another teleporter. Both of you
(automatically) jump onto it, and are teleported to...


6f. Sky Sanctuary Zone

This zone has only one act, but it is divided into three parts, and at the end of each part is a boss.
It is a far from normal zone. You'll be walking around the ruins of an ancient civilization, just
levitated somehow in the clouds. The music and clouds are very tranquil, but don't get too
complacent - Robotnik now has the Master Emerald, and he'll do everything possible to prevent
you from getting it back. Keep in mind that falling off the screen is a danger here, although once
you get higher up (in this zone, your main objective is usually to climb up) if you fall there's often
ground below you. This zone I found to be fairly easy, quite fun, and about as long as one act of a
normal zone.

Part 1

You begin by being beamed up, with Knuckles, into a teleporter in the clouds. Walk right and in
the background you'll see the Death Egg rising through the clouds. The rats. So Robotnik got it
to fly again after all. The Death Egg launches a series of ships out - these will try to stop you in
this zone. Once it floats off the screen Knuckles runs right and presses a switch off-screen,
causing a bridge to extend. Don't worry; if you accidentally walk off the ledge at the beginning,
you won't die; you'll just float somehow in mid-air. This is the last time you will see Knuckles in
the game. Proceed right past the switch and grab onto the pole, then jump onto the ledge. Be
careful of the spikes since you have no rings. Go right on the ledge until you meet a red and gray
robot with a laser gun. (You may encounter throughout these zone small ships that appear out of
nowhere and fly up off the screen; these pose no threat to you). This is the only enemy in this
zone and defeating him involves taking him out as quickly as you can all the time, before he can
shoot a laser beam at you. Defeat him and hit the red spring. Run right very fast for a ways and
eventually you should hit a spring in a green tower and get bounced up.

From the top of the tower jump to the ledge to the left via two floating gray towers (they collapse
so watch out). You encounter another floating robot; defeat him and cross the collapsing bridge.
If you drop through it go left to find a Lightning Shield; use the white clouds to spring back up.
(You can only bounce up on white clouds, not clear clouds). On the ledge to the left continue left
until you come to a green conveyor belt. Jump on it and you ride around it; when you circle over
to the left jump to the ledge on the left. Defeat another enemy and cross a series of collapsing
floating towers. On the other side is one last robot, who you don't have to defeat if you run under
him via the spring below him (which pops up from the floor). To the far left, bounce up on some
white clouds, and go left to the first boss.

Boss

This is the exact same boss as the first ever Sonic boss (in Green Hill Zone, Sonic 1). Seems the
programmers couldn't think of any new bosses so they reused old ones. The only change is,
Robo-Sonic is piloting the ship! He'll be your foe in all three boss battles in this zone. In this
battle there are two ledges on either side of the screen, above the floor. Robo-Sonic appears and
starts flying back and forth in the top center. Hit him a few times before he brings out his weapon,
a large red wrecking ball on a chain which he starts swinging back and forth. To avoid the ball run
under one of the ledges (I prefer the right one) and wait for the ball to start swinging in the other
direction. When it does, jump onto the ledge, jump and hit Robo-Sonic's ship once, than drop to
the floor and run back under the ledge quickly (before the ball can swing back). Repeat this
pattern and you'll find this boss easy. Eight hits defeats him, for now.

Part 2

After defeating the first boss a teleporter appears out of the floor; jump on it to get beamed up to
the next section. After you stop teleporting run right over the collapsing bridge (all bridges that
look like this collapse, and quite quickly). A robot waits for you on the other side; just roll right
through him. Go right ignoring the green towers above (which, oddly enough, float up and down
in relation to the level you're on) until you pass a Starpost. To the right is a bed of spikes with a
pole moving above it; jump over the spikes but ignore the route above; go right instead over two
collapsing bridges and defeat another robot. (If you fall through these bridges there is land below
but it's not worth exploring, in my opinion). Jump up to the floor above (which floats up and
down). To the right will be two moving poles, one above the other. Grab onto the upper one
when the floor floats up and it floats down. Then jump right onto the green conveyor belt, ride it
over, and jump off to find a Fire Shield. Grab it if you don't have a Lightning Shield and continue
right, dropping down to nab a Super Ring. Cross the chasm via the green conveyor belt, and
continue right (ignore the swinging cup with spikes on the bottom) over a collapsing bridge, to
the second boss.

Boss

This is supposed to be a reencounter with the boss of Sonic 2's Metropolis Zone, but there's a
bug that makes him a total cinch to beat. The battle begins the same way as the original boss -
Robo-Sonic's ship floats down, surrounded by seven gray orbs that orbit around it like Saturn's
rings, protecting it from damage. He floats down in the center and then coasts across the bottom
of the screen twice. Jump of him both times. If you have any Shield, jumping him should be easy.
Otherwise it is fairly difficult. After this he moves to the center and causes the orbs to expand to
cover almost the whole screen - stay in either far corner and you'll be fine. Then he makes the
orbs circle around his ship making the bottom of it unprotected, so hit him from below. This will
cause him to float up to the top and one of the orbs turns into a clone of himself. So far same as
before, but now the bug kicks in. You'd think that the orbs circling around the bottom of Robo-
Sonic's ship would protect it but oddly enough, they don't. To jump high enough to hit it, you
must jump and use the Insta-Shield at the peak of your jump, which isn't really that hard. Or you
can use a Lightning Shield double jump or a Water Shield double bounce. If you have a Fire
Shield losing it on purpose might be a good idea. Keep hitting it and each hit will cause another
orb to turn into a clone. As long as at least one clone is alive at all times Robo-Sonic will stay put
and not resume his pattern. After turning all the orbs into clones hit Robo-Sonic one more time
and he will be defeated, and all the clones disappear. 

Part 3

After victory, another teleporter appears. Use it to get beamed up to the final section. Go left,
defeat the robot in your way and pass a Starpost. Ride the small conveyor belt and jump to the
next ledge with the aid of a collapsing tower. Stand at the edge of the higher ledge at the base of
the arc of rings. A spiked cup will pick you up and take you in a half circle, collecting rings. After
it releases you roll across a section of floor and get bounced back up to the path by some white
clouds. Jump onto the green tower and the ledge to the left. Bounce up on more white clouds,
then use the collapsing towers to jump over to the conveyor belt. Ride it right and jump off but
watch out for a robot on the other side. Continue right, watching out for the bottom of a swinging
spiked cup, and drop through the next collapsing bridge - there's a Super Ring below it. Proceed,
jump past another spiked cup and bounce over to a teleporter on a white cloud. Get beamed up
and go right, over a collapsing bridge. Roll under one robot and at the next green tower, be
careful - some animals will come out, but then another robot. Jump and defeat him, then enter the
tower and bounce up. Hit the spring to your right and roll over four collapsing bridges by
bouncing on springs. You don't need to push any buttons. After this you pass a Starpost and
arrive at a teleporter; jump on it to get beamed up to the third and final boss.

Boss

This is a battle with Robo-Sonic reminiscent of the Sonic 2 battle, but far easier, both because you
have rings and Robo-Sonic now has a predictable pattern. When the battle begins Robo-Sonic will
jet over to the right corner in blade form. He can only be hurt when he is not in the form of a
spiked wheel (blade form); when he's standing up. He will do one of two things; land and turn to
face you, and face the wall and crouch. Beware that if he faces the wall he'll immediately jet
across the screen, in standing form, backwards. If he stands in the right corner make a short jump
and hit his forehead. Do not touch the spikes on the back of his head. If he moves to the left
corner jump over him and hit him when he stops. You can get more than one hit each time but I
highly recommend sticking to one at a time. After hitting him he'll turn back into a blade and
move over to the other corner in one of three ways. The first way, which he does first, is to simply
jump and jet across in midair. The second way is to jump, land in the center of the screen and
bounce high, landing on the other side. The third way is to jump, land in the center of the screen
and jet across the rest of the way on the floor. He does these in a pattern and if you know what
he's going to do next you stand a better chance of dodging him. Bear in mind that each time he
lands in a corner he'll either stay put or jet back to the opposite corner - you can tell by the way
he faces. This battle may drag on as you should only try for one hit at a time but if you keep alert
you should come out on top.

After eight hits, Robo-Sonic is defeated, and your points are tallied. Then the floor crumbles
away, taking Robo-Sonic with it, but you jump to the tower in the background, and run around it
automatically on a staircase that twists around it as it and the tower collapse. At the top of the
tower you automatically jump off and into the Death Egg. Now, the fun begins...

6g. Death Egg Zone

Well, this is every Sonic player's dream come true. For the first and to my knowledge only time,
you get to fight through the corridors of the Death Egg itself. (Sonic 2's Death Egg Zone didn't
count; it was just two boss battles). The music in this zone, alas, isn't that good; it's too metallic
and drones on and on. Ah, danger, what can I say? Every thing of pain that can spear, zap or
(best) crush a hedgehog you will find in this zone. You'll also find bizarre and sometimes
unbeatable robot enemies, mazes that boggle the mind of even the most experienced gamers,
strange traps and rooms seemingly impossible to escape, and more bosses than you could have
thought possible, all harder than anything you've seen in Sonic before. Good enough for you?
Ready for the time of your life? Got plenty of lives and continues, I hope? Then let us begin!

Act 1

This act is inside the Death Egg. The background looks like a huge, open area somewhere in a
location in Star Wars. You run onto the screen and first encounter a robot shaped like a triangle
that swings a spiked ball around the bottom half of himself. When he sees you he swings the
spiked ball farther out, to try and hit you. He can only swing it horizontally, thankfully, so he isn't
really that tough; just jump on him from above and the spiked ball will disappear. Next you find a
bridge of white photons spanning a gap. The bridge is solid only while the photons are visible and
it constantly cycles on and off. Cross it as far as you can and drop onto the metal ledge partially
below; from there spin dash up the wall. In the next area is a large bridge of blue blocks over a
depression. This bridge will rise and fall like a see-saw; when you step on one side, it sinks and
the other side rises. The bridge, once triggered, moves by itself. If you push it too far in one
direction the blocks will snap and fall off the screen. There's no need to use this bridge (below it
is a jet sled, like the ones in Flying Battery Zone, that will propel you up the wall to the right) but
remember how it works because there will be others in the future.

To the right is what looks a little like a spiked ball circling around a pole but it is harmless; it
simply makes you float above it when you walk over it. Continue right to a jet sled. When the
photon bridge to the right is not solid, touch it to run through the bridge (if you run up the bridge
when it is solid you can follow another path, but it's not worth it). Jump over the yellow spring
and defeat the spiked ball robot like the one at the beginning of the act. To the right, if you fall in
the depression, a blue robot with four spikes will try to spear you with the bottom spike. These
guys are unbeatable unless you use an Insta-Shield so stay away from them. Jump on the blue
platform on a long chain and it will move 90 degrees in one direction. After the first one drop
down, grab the Lightning Shield on the ledge, then jump to the next platform. Ride it up and go
right. You come to a glowing pad with a photon bridge turning on and off above it. This is a very
tricky spot; it's almost impossible to cross without getting hit unless you combine spin dashing at
it with the Lightning Shield's double jump. Don't try to cross the photon bridge when it is solid.

Continue right over a conveyor belt. You come to a conveyor belt that rises when you step on it.
As it rises, it continues to move, so don't get pushed into the spikes on either side and watch out
for two missile launchers, one in each wall, as well. These moving conveyor belts are very tricky
to handle. When it stops, go left and avoid the blue spike robot and the electric pad on the ceiling
(the lightning coming off of it will reach the floor). Enter the anti-gravity chamber. These
chambers simply bounce you between the ceiling and floor and are kind of fun. Go through until
you come out. Then grab the Super Ring and jump to the hook on the car overhead (careful of the
missile launcher). It will carry you over the electric pad. Jump off and go right to a jet sled. Hit it
to run up a wall and land on a photon bridge. Watch out for the missile launcher to the right.
Drop down through the two photon bridges to a Starpost. Then jump back to the lower bridge
and up to the ledge on the right. Go right climbing the steps avoiding missile launchers on each
step. At the top grab the car to be carried over an electric pad.

Hit the jet sled on the other side and you land on a bridge that extends upward when you land on
it. Walk forward and at the edge, you will be launched into a light tube. These things are way
cool; when you're in one rings of light surround you and carry you with them along a preset
course through an open area. They are very cool to watch. Once you come out of the light tube
you'll land on another bridge. If you go back into the area the light tube took you through you
can find three Super Rings and a Lightning Shield but they probably won't last very long in this
place. This bridge extends downward, to a jet sled. Go right to a conveyor belt that begins
moving downward when you step on it. Avoid spikes and missile launchers on the walls as you
descend. At the bottom, go left, to a photon bridge over an electric pad. Spin dash across when
the bridge becomes solid and jump through the one-way door on the other side. Go left and ride
the platform down. Right below where it stops is a hole in the floor; drop through it to find an
Invincibility. Below the Invincibility is a spring that will bounce you back up.

Go left and step on the small conveyor belt and it begins moving down. Missiles will be launched
at you from both sides but you should be invincible to them; however, stay on the conveyor belt.
It goes over an electric pad and finally goes down into an abyss. Jump off before it falls (falling
into this chasm will kill you) and hit the Starpost. Proceed right into a giant anti-gravity chamber.
This is a bizarre part of the act that takes a long time to get out of. You'll be in a huge metal
chamber and will constantly be sucked to the right, but the exit to the right is sealed. Every time
you hit it, you get bounced back left. To open the exit you must touch all six yellow lights on the
object moving vertically in the middle of the huge chamber, and turn them all red. The three lights
on the right shouldn't be very hard to touch, but the ones on the left will, since you must use the
springs in the room to bounce far enough left, then let yourself be swept back right and hope you
hit the object in the right place. It's very tricky to do and can be quite aggravating, but with any
luck, eventually you'll get all the lights red, though it may take a lucky hit or two.

Once you do touch all the lights exit the chamber to the right and go right. Hit the jet sled to be
sent up to a light tube. Ride it, then ride the bridge up and go right (be very careful of two missile
launchers) and ride another bridge up to another light tube. Ride it as well, and on the other side,
you pass a Starpost. Ride the bridge down and go right to the mid-boss.

Mid-Boss

This is insane. This is so difficult if you don't win on your first try, it may be worth your while to
go back into the act from the Starpost to get more rings before trying again; it may improve your
chances. If you have a Shield on your first try you should try as hard as you can to win on your
first try, as any