Based on the original 1991 version, Sonic the Hedgehog has stood the test of time and is widely recognized as one of the most successful console games of it's time selling more than 10 Million copies worldwide.

Many of you will instantly recognize our fury little blue friend although since Sonic the Hedgehog is a blast from the past lets just cover the game play and plot before we look at comparing it against the original version and the other iPod games available from iTunes.

Ok, so for those of you who are not familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog, this is a platform game with an extremely large dose of speed. As his name suggests, Sonic is fast and can reach speeds greater than the speed of sound. Whilst real-life hedgehogs are not known for their speed, they are known for rolling themselves into a ball to protect themselves which is probably the only thing in common Sonic actually has with his flea-ridden cousins. By rolling himself into a ball, Sonic can inflict damage to most enemies and also roll down slopes.

During the many different levels of Sonic you will be able to collect golden rings which help to both prevent the loss of life and also provide an extra life for every 100 rings collected. Maintain 50 or more rings at the end of certain levels you have the opportunity to jump through a large golden ring which, if successful, will take you to one of the special bonus levels and the opportunity to acquire one of the Chaos Emeralds. Rings also contribute toward your score, so, just make sure you collect as many rings as possible!

In addition to rings are the less frequent monitors which, when smashed by Sonic, provide bonuses such as a 10 ring bonus, shield, extra life, invincibility and super sneakers which make Sonic travel even faster.

With all original six levels, as well as the obligatory baddies and hazards throughout the game, end of stage bosses provide some tricky challenges.

So how does it work as one of the iPod Games available from iTunes? Well, For starters there are some clear improvements on the original 1991 version. For example, the original Sega Mega Drive / Genesis version did not have a save feature so you would have to either keep your system on overnight or complete the whole game in one sitting. Fortunately, the iPod version allows you to save your place in a game and unlimited restarts mean that completing the game need not involve a whole day of dedication and severe hand cramp at the end of it.

As for the controls and feel of the game it actually ports really, really well and after a little getting used to, we believe the game is as good as it was originally on the Sega.

This is easily one of the best iPod games released so far and we would happily recommend this as a must-have buy!

This is easy to rate as 5 out of 5.