Amazingly Addictive.
For me it is probably the first NES game that pops into my mind if someone brings up the system just because of how addictive it is and my quest to beat my top times as a kid. To this day one of my fondest memories would be going over to a new friends house and proving to them that I could beat the game with a ton of time left on the clock.
The game is simple enough to understand. You take a marble and guide it through a series of mazes using the A button to speed yourself up. Deceptively tough, many people would watch me complete it only to almost throw the controller in frustration after falling off the stage numerous times and watching the time run out. Like most NES games it is short and can be beaten in one sitting but the games lifespan is increased due to the addiction of wanting to shave a second off your finishing time.
You will find a few bugs in the levels which can be very annoying if you get stuck on them. Sometimes it is as if their is an invisible wall that you get stuck behind and the only way to get past is to throw your marble off the stage and be reset. This can make you angry at first but after an extended time with the game you pretty much just think of them as another obstacle in the level.
So what makes marble madness so great? Really at the end of the day I dont think I could tell you. Its a simple game that is over quickly and yet you just cant stop playing it. I recently purchased an NES after not having one for years and it was literally the first game I bought along with it. Either way if you own an NES you owe it to yourself to give it a try, well see if at the end of the day you measure up to the rest of us Marble Madness nerds. :)