Dr. Mario

"Just as addictive as Tetris"

Hello. This is my first review for the GameBoy but I plan on making others. I've decided to review the excessively addictive, Dr. Mario

-Story-
I don't think this game really has much of a story but that doesn't take away from it because of its genre. It's just about being Doctor Mario and you have to kill viruses using by lining up four multicoloured pills in a row. It's much better than it sounds.

-Graphics-
You have to remember that it is just Gameboy when you first see it and that it was made about ten years ago. If you get what I'm saying, it's not that great in graphics but I don't see how they could have improved it at that time and with a game that's so repetitive.

-Music and Sound Effects-
I don't like the music at all. There are only three or four different tracks that aren't very long but you can't tell by the way they're looped. The sound effects aren't that great either. Like the music, there aren't very many. The best one is when you get a long chain and then the sound of invincible Mario starts going. When playing, I suggest turning the volume down all the way

-Play Control-
The play control is excellent for the limited amount of things you can do in the game. You are in complete control of the antibiotics that Mario tosses down except they slowly fall down because of gravity. Stupid gravity. *curses under his breath at gravity* Actually, the more I think about, the more I think the play control is perfect because of the limited amount of stuff you can do.

-Originality-
I think this is one of the sections it excels at. I can't think of another strategy game where you take the role of a doctor to fight off evil viruses. It does look like Tetris though but it doesn't matter because there is a big difference between the two.

-Length and Difficulty-
The think about these games are that they seem like they never end because they have unbeatable levels so it is extremely long. The highest level I've gotten to is level 21. I not sure if it goes higher though because I've never beaten it due to extreme difficulty.

In conclusion, I would recommend this game for one reason. The addictiveness. You won't put it down for hours and you will never get sick of it. Considering the graphics and music, I'm going to give it 7/10. This game is a definite buy.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/00, Updated 03/12/00