Dr. Mario

What does a plumber do when he doesn't feel like playing with pipes? He cures viruses. Dr. Mario took the famous hero, dressed him in a white coat, and sent him into battle against colorful microbes — and the result is one of the most addictive puzzle games on the NES.

The principle is brilliantly simple and yet deep. Two-color pills fall from above into a bottle, and you rotate and stack them so that four of the same color in a row or column destroy the matching viruses. The bottle is full of colorful little critters, and your task is to wipe them out to the last one — except that new pills fall ever faster and space keeps running out.

The two-player variant is what makes Dr. Mario immortal. Duels side by side, where you make each other's lives difficult, can unleash passions and joy as fierce as any racing game. It's the kind of title the whole family easily takes turns at.

The music also contributes to the overall charm — the catchy tracks „Fever“ and „Chill“ burrow into memory and are themselves among the console's iconic melodies. The controls are instant and precise, so you quickly settle into a smooth, almost hypnotic rhythm of stacking.

Dr. Mario showed that Nintendo can turn even its mascots into the foundation of a great puzzle game, and it became a permanent part of its puzzle legacy, followed by further installments across consoles.

Why play: For instantly graspable but hard-to-put-down puzzle fun — and above all for the two-player duels that will put friendships to the test.