I still remember the first time I played Super Mario Bros on the NES. My older sister’s friend let us borrow her NES for a while, and from that moment we knew what we wanted for Christmas. I remember going shopping with my mother, father and older sister, buying the NES and taking it home. We weren’t allowed it then and there though. We had to wait for Christmas day. At first we had it hooked up to a black and white TV, but later, when we had a colour TV, I would hit the pause button over and over whenever I got star power, marvelling at the differently-coloured marios. Freaky!

I remember being filled with dread whenever I heard the castle music. I remember the adrenaline rush that came with leaping over Bowser’s head and hitting the hammer that would plunge him in to the lava. I remember being scared by the ‘trick’ castles that would loop endlessly until you worked out the correct sequence to run through it. I remember the sense of frantic desperation that descended when the music sped up: YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME! SOON YOU WILL DIE! GO GO GO!

Princess Toadstool. She was so pretty and pink! It felt so special to rescue her. Then to start the game again on difficult mode. All the koopa troopas have become buzzy beetles! All the jumping platforms have become shorter! The world as you knew it has become sinister and threatening!

Later, there was Mario 3. And a little brother. When we got bored of playing through the levels we would dive in to the VS mode, giggling hysterically as we competed to grab the coins, cheering when we reached the ladder level.

Sometimes a hammer brother would turn in to a white paper boat, or an ace of spades. What magic was this? What had we discovered? Was this meant for our eyes? We were intrepid explorers. Scared to enter in to the paper boat. Was it really paper? Or did our young eyes just interpret it this way?

Soon, rules were formed. If a magic level appeared, or the way was cleared to a mushroom house or similar at the end of your turn, the other player must not enter in, and must leave you to collect your spoils on your next turn.

The magic whistles! The P-wings! The scary, angry sun! Why was he so angry? The green, clockwork boots on world five (my favourite world – the world with the magic helter-skelter that took you to the icy clouds)!

Super Mario World. Yoshi. Secret areas. Multi-coloured yoshis! Blue was my favourite.

Mario Kart. Ahh, Mario Kart.

Mario Sunshine – It is the day after my birthday. My family are on holiday. I have bought Mario Sunshine with my birthday money and now I am playing it. The water jet pack was simply brilliant. And the levels where Shadow Mario stole the jet pack were inspired! And the music! Oh my! I liked the fairground world best. I loved being free to explore, to find hidden levels.

Mario Galaxy: The pinnacle of platforming games. The apex. The perfection of the genre. It took me back to the giddy joy I had not experienced in a video game since my childhood days spent with Mario 3.

Super Mario, you really are super!