IT’S been nearly 30 years since Mario made his videogame debut in Donkey Kong, but the portly plumber isn’t ready to hang up his famous dungarees just yet. Instead, he’s been catapulted into space for another planet-hopping adventure in a sequel to 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy.

IT’S been nearly 30 years since Mario made his videogame debut in Donkey Kong, but the portly plumber isn’t ready to hang up his famous dungarees just yet. Instead, he’s been catapulted into space for another planet-hopping adventure in a sequel to 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy.

This time around, Mario is on a mission to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser and his minions. As such, the game’s storyline won’t win any prizes for its originality, but its cosmic setting does provide plenty of planets to explore, each with their own gravity-defying puzzles and baddies to bop.

Thanks to some inventive level design, the game is constantly throwing up new challenges and rewarding your efforts with hidden bonuses, special power-ups, secret pathways and coins to gobble up. One minute you’ll be swimming through globules of floating water or rolling a giant snowball across lava pits and the next you’ll be exploring a world that springs into life like an enormous pop-up book.

As well as being able to run, jump and spin his way out of trouble, Mario can also slip on a number of power-enhancing suits. These include one that turns him into a rocky ball – so he can literally bowl over an opponent – and another that conjures up clouds to use as floating platforms. On top of that, Mario can also grab a Spin Drill that lets him tunnel through a planet, enabling all sorts of spatial puzzles as a result.

Lending a helping hand is Mario’s dinosaur chum, Yoshi, who can use his elongated tongue as a grappling hook or grab items and spit them back at enemies. By consuming various types of fruit, he can also run up walls, light up invisible platforms or puff up like a hot air balloon and float through the sky. His appearances are limited, but levels that do include him are a genuine treat.

With its enchanting visuals, sweeping orchestral score and energetic pace, it’s clear that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a very special game. It’s effortlessly playable, but challenging in all the right places.

Publisher: Nintendo

Price: �44.99

Format: Wii

Age rating: 3+

Score: 5/5 Stars