Dr. Mario 64

Dr. Mario is back for more pill-popping fun on the N64! All the fun of the original game is here, plus new modes add a whole new dimension to an already wonderful puzzle game.

As in the original, the premise is similar to Tetris, wherein rows of matching colors must be lined up from dropping bi-color pills to eliminate existing rows of pills. Players must rotate and move the dropping pills to line them up correctly. In multiplayer mode, successfully clearing a row in your bottle will drop unwanted pills on your opponents. Players can choose their own level of difficulty upon starting, thereafter you only advance when you clear all your pills.

This new edition has an exciting four-player mode which is really neat! Since each player can choose their own level, gamers of differing abilities can all play either head-to-head, or team-to-team. If playing as a team, you can save your junk pills that you get when clearing rows and dump them on the opposing team all at once! Other new additions include story (unlocks 20 animated characters), flash (only counts flashing pills), marathon (how long can you go?), and score-attack (beat the clock). Score-attack and flash may be either one- or two-player modes.

We used to have Dr. Mario on our NES system eons ago, and we preferred it over Tetris. We somehow missed getting a copy for our SNES, so this is the first time we've played it in years. My 15-yr-old daughter was so excited! She immediately challenged her dad and they've really been having a blast. My son has joined in, but we only have three controllers, so I guess I'll have to go buy another so my youngest can join, too. In the meantime, watching them play has sparked an interest in her for our Dr. Mario GBC game, which she had never tried until now.

If you're looking for a fun, multiplayer family game for your N64, this is an excellent choice, especially with the ability to play at different skill levels.