Format: Cartridge
Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega

This title's levels were originally intended to be part of Sonic 3, and this fact shows in the art direction which, for the first time in the series to this point, is only mildly above average. Some of the zones-- such as the opening area-- are strong, while others, such as Lava Reef zone, are quite plain and dull.

The Sonic & Knuckles soundtrack has several timeless selections, such as the Lava Reef, Sky Sanctuary, and Flying Battery Zone songs, and, in general, the songs are perhaps even stronger than those from Sonic 3.

Everything that made the level design so fantastic in the first three titles-- the pacing and the water-tight layouts-- are thrown out in this title, and replaced with bizarre, poorly implemented puzzles, areas where it is not clear how to progress, and more of Sonic 3's mediocre special stages. The maps certainly aren't terrible compared to many other platformers of the era, but they definitely represent a low-mark of the four "core" Sonic Genesis titles.

Clearly Sonic & Knuckle's strength-- seeing as how its strength is not its level design-- is the fact that it can be connected to Sonic 3 in order to form a lengthy, massive Sonic mega-title. It is a neat concept, but unfortunately in that case the back-half of the game is so greatly inferior to the first half that it's best to simply stop playing where Sonic 3 ends.