Although Gamecube had some excellent launch titles, Resident Evil was the first that alone justified getting a Gamecube. I have every confidence that Starfox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet will be the third. Do I really need to say that Super Mario Sunshine is the second?

Everyone likes Mario and everyone will love his latest game. How can I say this? Because if you're into games then you can't help but love it. Whether it's the bright, colourful island you're playing on, the multitude of mini-games and sub-tasks or the variety of moves and techniques to master in reaching those unreachable places, Mario has it all.

The storyline is a simple one, perfect in fact for a game that will universally appeal to kids and adults alike. Mario, Princess Peach, Toadsworth and co are flying to Isle Delfino, a holiday resort paradise, for a well-earned rest. However, someone has been vandalising the island and a reason that soon becomes apparent, everyone thinks Mario is to blame. So he takes the trusty FLUDD water cannon and heads off to clean up the mess.

At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the graphics aren't making use of the Gamecube's power. You'd also be wrong, as there are many excellent graphical techniques and touches to be found. The graphics and physics of the water that squirts from FLUDD are very realistic, not to mention the water effects of the sea surrounding the island. The weird, multicoloured shimmering muck that Mario has to clean up also looks pretty cool and the graphics of the buildings and scenery are not only detailed, but they scale brilliantly. You can stand in the centre of Delfino Plaza and then hop on a boat and watch as the island gets smaller perfectly to scale. Also, the graphical effects when Mario travels through the rainbow M's into other island regions or heads into one of numerous secret areas are excellent.

The look and feel of Delfino Island is very bright and colourful, you can't help but think how warm and inviting it all looks. There are numerous inhabitants on the island and some give you helpful information or tips on how to solve the many puzzles while others need your help in some way. It gives a feeling of bustling community similar to the Zelda games. There is also plenty of variety to the locations, which include a busy town, sunny beach, hillside village, lively port and a superb theme park with loads of cool rides! The sound effects and music are perfect, a whole host of brilliant tunes and themes await you, which will stick in your head and have you humming for days!

But it's the gameplay that makes Mario games so great and never has it been stronger than in Super Mario Sunshine. As well as the usual platform antics that require your mastery of the triple jump, spin jump, side somersault and wall kick, the addition of the water cannon adds a whole new dimension to the game. You can spray a jet of water in any direction or switch to hover mode and send a blast of water out that allows you to fly. It only lasts for a few seconds, but when combined with the jumps it allows you to get to otherwise inaccessible areas. Later there are two other kinds of nozzle that come into play, giving you access to new areas and secrets.

As well as cleaning up the mess, you must retrieve all of the missing shine sprites. These are bright little sun stars that light up Delfino Island. There are several ways to retrieve them. You get one after defeating a big baddie, playing a mini-game, cleaning up some mess or collecting 8 red coins. There are levels that warp you into nostalgic recollections of earlier Mario titles too. These are suspended in the middle of space and require you to navigate some tricky platform sections that feature dissolving, disappearing, rotating and moving blocks, bounce pads, slides and so on. Most of the time your water cannon is taken for these levels so you have to make it through using pure platform skill. There are also blue coins to be found and 10 can be exchanged for a shine sprite. These can be hidden anywhere and some are given to you by the Delfino citizens for helping them out.

It's a huge game with masses of secrets to be found, but it also gives you plenty of freedom and choice. Each area of the island is presented to you in a series of episodes. Whenever you return to the area, a different challenge awaits you. If you get stuck in one area, you can visit the others and solve some of those puzzles before coming back to it later. For example, on Gelato Beach the first time you visit there is a mysterious sandcastle that appears after you squirt a strange beach bud plant. Enter this and you have to jump across a series of sand blocks that start to pour away into the void beneath when you step on them. At the end of the course is a shine sprite. Next time you head back, there is a giant caterpillar stuck to the Sacred Egg on the island. There are three circular mirrors on pivots that should be pointing at the egg to keep it hot, but there are now creatures walking around on them. You have to jump on each mirror and squirt the creatures until they reach the edge and almost fall off. They raise one leg to keep their balance and then you must do a ground pound that sends them flying! Clear each mirror and the Sacred Egg becomes too bright for the caterpillar, which falls off leaving a shine sprite as your reward.

The amount of variety, ingenuity and fun to all the puzzles and baddies in this game is just astounding. Not since Zelda has there been a game that has received such loving care and attention to detail. There are endless new tasks and secret areas to find as you progress. Also, the addition of the water cannon gives Mario new moves. For example, when Mario is hanging from a rope, squirting the cannon will spin him around before he lets go to do a super whirl jump. If he's on a swing, squirting the cannon gets the swing moving and you have to time the squirts right to get it swinging enough to reach the goodies above. There are also Yoshi eggs to hatch, then you can take one for a ride, plus there are various types of fruit for Yoshi to eat and they can be used by Mario to solve puzzles and earn blue coins. Like I said, the amount of variety is almost endless.

Mario is the master of all platform games and never has he shined more than in Super Mario Sunshine. An absolute classic and both Mario and Nintendo's finest hour yet, the excellent graphics, sound and music deliver a stunningly varied and highly addictive platform experience that is pure fun all the way. So stamp out those winter blues by bringing some Super Mario Sunshine into your life!

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).