Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Special stages

There are seven special stages in the game, one for each Chaos Emerald you can collect. In the special stages, you must collect all the blue spheres while avoiding the red spheres. If you collect all the blue spheres you are rewarded with a Chaos Emerald. If you collect all seven Emeralds you get the ability to transform into Super Sonic.

Making Rings
Groups of blue spheres can be turned into rings by going around the outside of them.

Example 1
1. 2.  3.

There must be at least 1 blue sphere in the center.

Example 2
1. 2.  3.

Notice how only the spheres in the outline and the center turn into rings.

Example 3
1. 2.  3.

Stage Maps
Click on an image to view a larger version.

based on "Chaos Emerald FAQ" by TurboKiller