"Sonic Jam...not what many expected."

Introduction - Sonic Jam...totally different from the Saturn version. It tried to survive on the game.com system, but a bad system usually makes bad games. Sonic Jam is a very very short game, which supposedly is made up of levels from different Sonic the Hedgehog games (big lie).

Gameplay (3/10)- This is a game to play to pass the time. It is extremely easy, however it can get boring with the midi-type music and very very slow frame movement. This is bad for a Sonic game. It needs to be able to move fast with crisp clear graphics, however it was slow and blurry graphics. You can choose from ''Sonic 2'', ''Sonic 3'', and ''Sonic & Knuckles''.

Each zone has no name(big rip off) instead they are titled ''Zone 1'', ''Zone 2'', ''Zone 3''..and so on. There are five zones for each game. Each zone has the same layout..which is also a rip off. Sonic 2 has the Emerald Hill layout, Sonic 3 has the Angel Island layout, and Sonic & Knuckles has the Mushroom Hill Layout. Each Zone is totally and completely different from the Genesis version(gee, I thought that it said that you could play levels from different Sonic games? These are pretty different).

You can choose from three characters: Sonic, Knuckles, or Tails. Every character has their own moves except Knuckles...sadly he can't glide.

You face a boss in Zone 3 and Zone 5 of every game. These bosses are taken exactly from the genesis counterparts (which is good)...except..they are extremely easy.

Another thing worth mentioning is the Special Stage! It is just like Sonic 3 (you find the giant ring, jump in it, and collect blue spheres and avoid the red ones). However, since it is black and white, you have to collect the white spheres and avoid the black ones. This special stage is really hard to follow, since it is 3-D and goes really fast. It is extremely blurry so it takes many tries to beat one special stage. And when you beat it...you get nothing. No Chaos Emeralds or anything. The emeralds aren't even mentioned in the game at all...so why have a special stage?...

Story (2/10)- The story is the same as Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2...Dr. Robotnik came and trapped animals in robots and Sonic and his friends must save them and stop Robotnik.

Graphics (4/10)- The graphics are horrible. The screen is separated by many different squares (that is how the system is made). The game slows down too much and is way too blurry.

Sound (1/10)- Ok this is just plain pathetic. The sound has the same...annoying..midi tune throughout the whole game...it NEVER CHANGES!!!

Replayability (1/10)- No secrets or anything to come back to...the game should take you under 10 minutes to beat. (very sad).

Final Recommendation - My final words of wisdom: stay far far away from the game. Do not even try to play it. You will be very disappointed..I know I was. I thought ''Cool...a handheld Sonic 3. Sonic 3 was my favorite. It would be cool to see a black and white Floating Island fall from the sky''. Then you play it, and no elements from any game is mentioned. There is no story at all. Very disappointing.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/02, Updated 12/29/02