Super Mario Bros. 3/World 2

World 2 is called Desert Hill. As the name already says, the levels here are primarily desert-themed. Difficulty is starting to pick up slowly from this point.

There are two Boomerang Bros. in here. One awards a Music Box, the other awards a Hammer. There are also two Mushroom Houses in the left part where you have the choice, again, between a mushroom, flower and a raccoon leaf.

Using the hammer in the top right corner reveals a secret right part. Besides a Fire Bros. with a warp whistle, there is also another Mushroom House here which contains the Frog Suit, an item which will prove to be very helpful in the next World.

2-1

 * Right at the beginning you'll meet a new enemy, Pile Driver Micro-Goombas. They usually hide among brick blocks and look like one, but try to jump on you when you come near them. In the NES version, they can be easily distinguished from real blocks because they don't shine. You can easily take them out by jumping on them.
 * The first ? block contains a raccoon leaf.
 * After the brick walls, there are two ? blocks, the right one contains a starman.
 * Just before the violet structure you'll encounter another new enemy, Fire Snakes. They can only be killed by whacking them with Raccoon Mario's tail, so it's best to avoid them.
 * The brick block behind the first Fire Snake contains a leaf. Again, you can use the Koopa Troopa just a bit before to get it.
 * Once you're on the first violet structure, fly straight up to get to the bonus area 1 (see below)
 * You can enter the violet structures from the bottom right corner if you wish by breaking a brick block. The first violet structure contains a 1-up mushroom, the second one has many coins.
 * Between the two violet structures, the left wooden block contains another leaf (bump into it from the side). To get back up once you've fallen down, jump at the middle to discover a hidden note block.
 * At the end you'll see two pipes with Piranha Plants coming out of them. Go down the second pipe to arrive in bonus area 2 (see below).

Bonus area 1

 * This area is empty at first, but jump on the P-Switch to make 16 coins appear. Afterwards leave the area, you'll end up above the second violet structure.

Bonus area 2

 * This area just contains a single P-Switch. Step on it, then quickly get outside and all the brick blocks will be transformed into coins for you to collect.

2-2

 * You'll encounter quicksand at the beginning. It slows you down a lot and if you sink down completely, you die. Take a good running jump over quicksand fields to avoid them.
 * Bump into the first wooden block you see to get a raccoon tail.
 * After the quicksand, you'll come across a wooden platform that takes you through the second half of the level. If you fall down, you can swim back through the pool of water and the wooden platform will re-appear, but watch out for the Cheep-Cheep in the water.
 * You need good reflexes to bump into both brick blocks at the beginning if you're Super Mario. The left one contains a coin, the right one has a P-Switch which will transform the upcoming brick blocks into coins.
 * Between the groups of coins, you can find a hidden 1-up mushroom.
 * Collecting 30 coins in this level unlocks the White Mushroom House. This is very tricky because of the limited time you have until the coins become brick blocks again after activating the P-Switch, and the last group is located almost at the end of the level.
 * In Super Mario All-Stars, three coins were added at the beginning of the water pool. This makes getting the White Mushroom House much easier because it removes the requirement to collect any coins from the group at the very end.
 * The pipe at the end takes you to the ending area, which is empty apart from the goal card.

Part 1

 * You'll encounter a new enemy at the beginning, Thwomps. They fall to the ground when you come near them and then move back up. That's your moment to cross them.
 * Somewhat farther you'll encounter your second new enemy: Boo Diddley. Look into his face and he will be immobile, turn your back against him and he will move to you. You can't defeat them at the moment so be careful of them.
 * At the top part, watch out for the floor spikes. Do a careful jump over the spikes to not accidentally end up inside the Thwomp.
 * After this Thwomp, the single brick block you see contains a raccoon leaf. Run and duck to reach it as Super Mario.
 * From the brick block, you can just run across the room. You'll make it to the other side unharmed since the Thwomps don't fall fast enough. Go through the door to end up in part 2.

Part 2

 * The spikes move up and down. Wait until they get back up and then quickly cross the first two spike fields (or just one if you're not confident).
 * After these two blocks of spikes, you can either choose to continue as before, or try to jump over the spikes using the wooden blocks. This is very risky though because they are very small, and also because of the Boo Diddleys in this room.
 * After the fourth spike block, don't continue, this is where the door is. Enter it once it moves back up to get to part 3.

Part 3
Walk forward to meet Boom-Boom again. He doesn't behave any differently from how he did in World 1. Stomp him three times or feed him 5 fireballs to defeat him.

2-3

 * This level features pyramids made of orange blocks. These are not solid from the side, you can walk through them without any difficulty. You can also jump up to the block above you.
 * The first two pyramids have two ? blocks at the tip. Big Mario can access them easily, small Mario will have to use the Koopa shells. The right ones contain a raccoon leaf and a starman, respectively.
 * For the third pyramid, check out the left ? block for another raccoon leaf.
 * After this part, you'll see pyramids made of brick blocks. If you're not Raccoon Mario, feel free to kick the shells of the Koopa Troopas here down to destroy some of the brick blocks. One of the brick blocks in the pyramid hides a 1-up mushroom.
 * From the second pyramid, jump around to uncover hidden note blocks (check out the map). They lead to a platform with a few coins.
 * If you are Raccoon Mario, jump from the first note block to the left to uncover more hidden blocks. Climb all the way to the top, then soar to the left. The left brick block contains a P-Switch, step on it and then fall down to collect all the coins at the bottom (it's a lot!).
 * At the end you should see two Koopa Troopas in an enclosed structure of brick blocks. Stomp on one, kick its shell and jump out. The shell will destroy all the brick blocks allowing you to get to the pipe. When the shell is done, stomp on it to stop it, then jump at the single brick block remaining, it contains multiple coins.
 * If you're Raccoon Mario, wag your tail against the brick blocks at the very end for some more coins.

Quicksand

 * Present throughout this level is the Angry Sun. At the beginning it just hovers in the corner, but halfway through the level, it will start chasing you. You'll have to avoid it until you come across the goal card.
 * Expert players can use a Koopa shell to take out the Angry Sun. You can use the brick blocks on the ground to keep the Koopa shell bouncing back and forth.
 * The large quicksand pit at the beginning requires a very precise jump to not fall into it.
 * The tornado in this level just pushes you backward if you run into it. To pass it, you must jump beforehand so it will launch you way upward.

2-4

 * If you're Raccoon Mario, fly straight up through the brick blocks. You'll get to the top of the level, which is very straightforward and full of coins.
 * The first pit is guarded by two Koopa Troopas. First jump on top of the ? block, and then stomp the first Koopa Troopa. From here, jump onto the ? block over the pit, and onto the second Koopa Troopa. Kick its shell to the left to retrieve the raccoon leaf from the block.
 * Stomp on the next Koopa Troopa you see and take its shell. Run forward and knock out the Boomerang Bro you see there with your shell. The block on the ground contains another leaf.
 * When you see the next red Koopa Troopa, do the same to the Boomerang Bro on the other side of the pit.
 * Behind the Boomerang Bro, cross the pit to find another block with a leaf inside.
 * After the Piranha Plant, there's another Boomerang Bro waiting for you. This time, there's no easy way to kill it, and because it has the height advantage, you'll need good luck to make it past him.
 * If you're coming from the top, you'll see several note blocks leading down. The last one contains yet another leaf.
 * At the goal card there's another Boomerang Bro waiting, jump over him and collect the card to defeat him.

2-5

 * Right at the beginning you'll meet Chain Chomps. These enemies are tied to a block and will charge at you (the chain will detach if you wait long enough). It's best to avoid them as they can't be killed at the moment and are very unpredictable.
 * The second block at the beginning contains a leaf. Due to the Chain Chomp however it is very risky to collect, you may want to skip it.
 * At the orange blocks, jump up to the second one from the bottom to avoid the Chain Chomp.
 * After the blocks you'll see a Koopa Troopa on a platform made of brick blocks. Stomp on it and kick its shell against the leftmost brick block. You can now drop down and bump against the wooden block at the bottom, awarding you another leaf.
 * Behind the pit, watch out for the Chain Chomp. It can reach you while climbing up the orange structure.
 * After a while, you should see some brick blocks at the bottom and after that a Koopa Troopa. Stomp on it, then take its shell and kick it into the right path. It will reveal a vine, climb it up and follow the cloud platforms at the top to get to a bonus area (see below).
 * At the end of the level, a Chain Chomp is right below the goal card. Collect the card and the Chain Chomp will die.

Bonus area

 * This area contains some coins and many brick blocks. In the brick block structure, the bottom one in the middle contains a P-Switch, which turns all the brick blocks into coins.
 * The bottom-rightmost brick block contains a raccoon leaf.
 * Exit the bonus area to land on a structure in the air. Walk to the right and jump at the rightmost block for another leaf.

Pyramid

 * At the beginning, you have no choice but to enter the door to get inside the pyramid.
 * Inside the pyramid, watch out for the Buzzy Beetle walking down the steps. At the top, you can find a raccoon leaf inside a ? block.
 * At this point, there is a small maze. At each path there are brick blocks, if you are Raccoon Mario you can use your tail, otherwise you must kick a Buzzy Beetle shell against the brick blocks to destroy them. As big Mario, you must then run and duck to get through.
 * The correct path is the middle path, the others just lead to a dead end. At the Piranha Plant, jump up and to the left, then go up and to the right again.
 * After that, you should see a pipe. To reach it, jump around to find a hidden block. The pipe leads to a bonus area (see below).
 * Behind the pipe, there's a slope. You can slide down if you want, but watch out, the slope leads right into a pit. Jump off before you fall in.
 * Near the end you'll see Buzzy Beetles walking on the ceiling. When you come near them they drop down and spin towards you. You can stop the shells by jumping on them just like any other shell.
 * The pipe at the end leads to the ending area. Watch out for the Boomerang Bro that awaits you there!

Bonus area

 * This bonus area has alternating lines of coins and brick blocks. The brick block at the very bottom has a P-Switch, which effectively switches them around.
 * At the very top, off the visible screen you can find a block with a 1-up mushroom.
 * Once you're done, enter the pipe again. You'll come out after the big slope.

Airship

 * After the cutscene where Mario discovers that the King has been transformed into a spider, Mario jumps on the airship to fight the boss of this world.
 * This is another autoscroller. When you see the first two Bullet Bill cannons, jump on them and then on the roof.
 * About halfway through there will be a single block with a Fire Flower inside.
 * At the end you'll discover a new enemy, Rocky Wrenches. They throw small wrenches at you. While you can stomp on them to kill them, they just regenerate, so don't bother.
 * After the Rocky Wrenches, use the Bullet Bill cannons again as a staircase to the pipe.
 * The pipe takes you to Morton Koopa Jr. He behaves just like his brother from World 1. Either stomp on him three times or feed him 10 fireballs to defeat him, then take the wand to get to the next world. Princess Toadstool gives you a Jugem's Cloud for beating this world.