Yoshi's Story Nintendo 64

~Yoshi's Island isn't immune to strange occurrences every now and then, but this is just plain bizarre. The entire world has been transformed into a giant picture book To top it all off, the ~Super Happy Tree was missing, which was the source of all the Yoshis' power. Who would do such a terrible thing? It looks like the work of one Baby Bowser, the biggest bully on the block.

Now weakened and unable to carry on, the Yoshis must find some help -- and fast. Luckily, six eggs happened to hatch at about the same time the Super Happy Tree disappeared. The baby Yoshis promised to eat lots of fruit and make the world a happy place once again, even despite the gloomy attitude of Baby Bowser. Anyway, enough small talk It's time to eat some fruit and turn those frowns upside down

Yoshi's Story is a 2D platform game that has players controlling one of six young Yoshis as they explore the island in either Story Mode or Trial Mode. What sets this game apart from similar platform titles is that there is no "end" to reach on each level. Yoshi's Story is divided into six "pages," with each page representing one of four possible courses. Confused?

While the entire 128-Meg cartridge holds 24 levels divided into six different worlds, each game consists of one level (or page) per world. So in order to see all the levels, you'll have to keep playing again and again to improve your score. Yoshi's task within each page is to find 30 pieces of fruit in order to advance; it doesn't matter where he finds them or in what order -- once he gobbles up the 30th piece of fruit, he's ready to turn the page.

To get these pieces of fruit, Yoshi can walk, run, swim, push items, jump, stomp on enemies and pound the ground. The "pound the ground" technique allows you to reveal hidden fruit to add to your score or happiness. As in previous games, Yoshi can still use his tongue to grab any fruit or enemy character he comes into contact with, but make sure you grab the right color

Each Yoshi has a certain color preference that keeps him happy and increases your score. If Yoshi swallows an enemy, the character will turn into an egg ready to be thrown anywhere on the screen. These eggs can then be launched to reveal hidden platforms, items or secrets. Yoshi can also sniff the ground (like a bloodhound) to clue you in on where to pound to uncover tasty snacks.

The game automatically keeps track of your name, high score and progress for each Yoshi, so you have something to shoot for if you decide to play again. Each health point is represented by a flower pedal, and once it's plucked, you'll have to pick from the remaining five Yoshis (who each differ in color). Rumor has it that there are one or two more waiting to be discovered

Collect thirty melons on each page to reveal a secret, and find the three Special Hearts in each course to open up more pages. The cleared courses in Story Mode can then be played as many times as you want in Trial Mode, where the goal is to achieve the highest score possible. Players will also be able to feel each ground pound, sniff, stomp and jump with a ~Rumble Pak accessory. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide