Sonic the Hedgehog/Zones

Green Hill Zone
This is the first zone of the game and the easiest of the six. This area is overflowing with trees, waterfalls, loop-de-loops and more.

Act 1
Jump and get the game's first three rings, then hop up to the short plateau and jump on the 10-ring monitor. Kill the fast blue bee robot, Buzzbomber, as it speeds by to shoot you, then jump to the nearby tree to your right. It's barely visible, but there's a yellow spring hidden in the treetop. Hop on it and you'll shoot upward to five more rings. Go forward past the fish jumping up out of the water and then jump in the top of the second tree past that bridge. You'll hit an invincibility monitor that's there but that you can't see that well. Run forward until you reach a yellow spring opposite a cliff overhang. Jump to that area, but watch out - the cliff overhang crumbles underneath your feet, as do all others that look like this one. Go past about two more of these falling edges until you reach a blue post. It will turn red when you run past it - it's a checkpoint. You'll start back at that point should you happen to die.

Run straight forward from that goal point. You'll go through the famous dizzying loop-de-loop that mesmerized gamers in the Genesis' formative months and through a tunnel that takes a short break to make room for another checkpoint. You'll shoot up a natural half-pipe of sorts and get a couple of rings in a large trapezoidal formation. When you come down, there's a short way to go until you make the exit. If you have 50 rings or more when you get there, there will be a humongous ring above the sign and to its right. Jump into it as you pass the sign and you'll be taken to a rotating bonus stage where you can try for one of the six Chaos Emeralds. If you don't have fifty rings, pass on to the next act.

Act 2
Grab the rings hovering horizontally over the bridge and vertically over the spring, then take a detour to the left. There are spikes to the left of that yellow spring, and if you control your jump right, you can sort of dive past them to a lower area holding twenty rings and a shield, which will allow you to take a hit without causing you to suffer any ring loss. You're now in this bottom pit area then (if you made it past the spikes, that is - if you didn't then you more than likely died), and you have no apparent way to get out. To do so, start from up against the spikes (you won't get hurt by touching their sides) and run to the wall to the right, pressing Down before you get in front of it. If executed properly, you'll roll up into a ball and destroy the weak wall ahead of you, which opens up into a more expansive area where you can get a super-speed shoe. After getting that, ride the moving ledge above you to the waterfall with rings in front of it. Make your way to the half-pipe ahead, which plants you on a swinging ledge. Get the rings that are in the ledge's path and stop at the tree to the left for a shield if you've lost your other one. Some invincibility to the right will help you blow right through to a checkpoint. Go straight ahead from here until you reach the exit (and hopefully, another large ring!)

Act 3
Hit the top of the second tree from underneath to reveal invincibility, then speed ahead with it. Use the spring to get up to the cliff edge that falls under Sonic's weight and keep progressing up the high road to a shield. Try to stay along this high road until you make a checkpoint. You have two choices here; get the super-speed shoe and speed ahead for a load of rings, or take the high road along the moving platforms and make it to another quick checkpoint. The high road reaps an eventual convenient reward, so take it.

When you make the second checkpoint post, ride along the moving ledges until you get to one that just falls. Let it take you down; you'll be on the top of a loop-de-loop and right near an accessible 1-up (the small reward I was talking about). Jump down to the left to get a shield out of the palm tree below, then continue through the loop as normal and jump when you reach a small mound in front of the red springboard on the rock to get back on higher ground.

Ride the swinging ledge that stops in front of a series of ledges that fall shortly after you land on them. Jump across them to a cliff, above which is more invincibility. Grab that and run with reckless abandon across the rotating spike log, which normally requires patience and good timing to get past. Continue forward to the platform on a chain swinging very low over a bed of spikes. You'll come to a short curve that will result in you uncovering a 10-ring monitor. Shortly after that, if you get a running start from way back near the bed of spikes and jump at the correct moment, you'll get your third invincibility of the level out of a very tall palm tree. This comes just in time for your first battle with Dr. Robotnik.

Act 3 Battle
Here, you are introduced to the main villain of the Sonic series, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (often referred to as Dr. Eggman by Sonic and co.) You are given two platforms to attack Robotnik from (one on the left and one on the right.) Immediately stand on the right platform upon entering the area. When Robotnik enters from the right, begin attacking him before he pulls out his swinging weapon. When the pendulum comes towards you, jump through the small space between the ball and the main machine and head for the other platform to attack Robotnik. Eventually, the machine will be destroyed and you will be free to release the animals trapped in the nearby machine.

Marble Zone
A zone with ancient buildings made of marble and an underground castle with spiky chandeliers. There is a lot of lava that can harm Sonic in this level. Certain bricks can be destroyed for points; sometimes up to 30,000 could be obtained, if the bricks are destroyed in sequence.

Act 1
Run forward and collect the three rings. Soon, you should come to a Buzzbomber and a Caterkiller. Continue moving to run into another set of badniks. Finish them off and carry on, there should be a moving strip of land leading inside, go inside and break open the three ring boxes for 30 rings. Exit the area and head back out, you should see some platforms floating in lava. Quickly jump across these; if you don't, the platform will sink into the lava. When you get back on solid land, you should see another floating strip of land. Go inside.

Dodge the glass pillars and defeat the bat enemies. You should come to a spiked chandelier with a block on it. Push the block onto the switch and the chandelier should rise. Descend, while dodging the spikes on the wall and head left to hit a checkpoint and get a shield. Head right, past the glass pillar, and there should be blocks that fall from the ceiling as you approach them. Jump across each and get to the other side. There should be two more falling blocks and four rings on the floor. Do NOT pick up the four rings yet; there is a spiked chandelier above you and can fall and crush you. Wait for the chandelier to fall and rise, then jump onto the ledge, as the chandelier is rising, jump on it and jump towards the left wall, you should go through it into a passage with four ring boxes and an extra life. Leave the passage and get on the ledge. Jump on the blocks and head up. Be careful, there is a crushing weight and a chandelier above. Jump onto the weight and then onto the chandelier and head outside. There should be a few baddies and lava platforms to jump over, then comes the signpost. If you have 50+ rings, be sure to jump into the big ring.

Act 3 Battle
At the end of Act 3, Dr. Robotnik attacks with an improvement to his craft that shoots fireballs on one of the two platforms Sonic can stand on, briefly setting it on fire.

Spring Yard Zone
An urban level with many springs and bumpers, resembling a pinball machine. There are many secret areas in this zone. Act 2 has two Robotnik signs (ends) and as such, can be ended through two possible routes. At the end of Act 3, Dr. Robotnik attacks with a spike-equipped craft that slowly removes the blocks Sonic stands on. Attack Robotnik while he is impaling a block, and try to get multiple hits in so you don't run out of terrain too fast!

Labyrinth Zone
Labyrinth Zone is a ruin-like maze partially submerged in water. It features many spikes and water-driven contraptions. The greatest hazard of this zone is not the enemies or the traps, but the water. Sonic, being a hedgehog, is terrible at swimming. After staying underwater for a limited amount of time (18 seconds, with warning bells after 5, 10, and 15 seconds) a countdown starts (5 breaths/about 12 seconds), at the end of which Sonic drowns. This would lead the player to a great sense of panic at the sound of the countdown music. Collecting air bubbles found in certain points resets the counter and prevents Sonic from drowning. At the end of Act 3, Sonic has to follow Dr. Robotnik through an ascending passage filling with water. Robotnik's craft can be destroyed; however, this is extremely hard without use of cheats and is not required to complete the level, nor does it offer any sort of bonus.

Star Light Zone
A zone set in a city at night, under the stars, and containing many loops. This stage contains many roller coaster-like sections in which Sonic is hurled along paths at great velocity; it is possibly the game's strongest showcase of Sonic's speed. There are few enemies here, most of which cannot be destroyed by Sonic. At the end of Act 3, Dr. Robotnik shoots spiked mines onto three seesaws. To hit Robotnik, jump on the opposite end of a spike-bearing seesaw when he passes over to launch it at him, scoring a hit!

Scrap Brain Zone
An industrial powerhouse of a level, the Scrap Brain Zone is the final (save for the one-stage "Final Zone") location for Sonic to traverse. Ruptured gas pipes send bursts of fire from the ground or ceiling and massive buzzsaws come at Sonic from all directions. This level features platforms that can vanish into thin air as well as diagonal conveyor belts that will drop Sonic off them if he does not leap off at the end so timing is essential. The second act is set indoors and contains magnetic orbs which can be used as catapults to out-of-reach places and also has teleport machines. The third act takes a bizarre twist as Sonic is dropped into what appears to be a Labyrinth Zone-style stage, which he must climb out of to face Robotnik for the final showdown.

Final Zone
In this zone there are no rings. Walk down the path to a chamber. Eggman will have 4 pillars. 2 pillars will come down at the same time. Jump on the pillar with Eggman. Then 4 lights will come down. Dodge them. After 8 hits Eggman will flee. You can hit 1 more time. This is optional. Then you have won the game. Can you do it with all chaos emeralds?