Very good sequel, adds new, very welcome power-ups. Levels up to the later third of the game are very strong, but then they dive down in quality a lot like in Sonic 2 (I do like Death Egg though). The game as a whole is much less concerned with beating levels quickly, levels are longer and a bit more linear. Special Stages (and how to access them) are a tad better than Sonic 1 and 2. Lots of time-wasting though, and lots of fake walls everywhere, tempting you to be overzealous in exploring levels and making the game's pacing incredibly slow. Too many bosses, and not many good ones.