~Going One Better On An Already Good Thing~
There are all the enjoyable elements of the first game to be found in this sequel, from the highs of joyfully squashing enemies beneath your bouncing feet to the lows of falling from the edge of the platform *again*, but the noticeable improvement to the graphics adds to this already satisfying ride.
The imagery is like a rich masterpiece compared to the original, and coupled with the simple yet satisfying soundtrack and sound effects, this game just feels better when it is hard to see why it should really be so. Catching a Mushroom is a glorious event, popping through pipes seems like the coolest thing ever.
And it still creates intense frustration as you try to battle to the end while desperately trying to preserve your lives and wishing that 'autosave' existed, or even 'save'. Classic, simple thing.
Eight out of Ten ~ ML