The premise of Dr. Mario is fairly simple. Your goal is to exterminate the different colored viruses by dropping the corresponding colored pills on them. For example, to rid yourself of a red virus you have to drop 3 red capsules on it and it will then disappear. Many of the capsules are multicolored, so half of the pill is one color while the other half is another. This will require you to create new strategies since it becomes advantageous to take out two viruses at the same time. If you place only half the pill on the virus and get rid of it, the other half of the stacked pills will then fall down the screen until they hit another object. So, if you can plan ahead it’s possible to create chains to earn more points and send garbage to the other players if you happen to be playing multiplayer.

Just like any good puzzle game the pieces (capsules in this case) can be rotated. This allows you to line up the correct colors to zap the viruses. Pressing down on the control pad will cause the pill to drop at a faster rate. Just like in Tetris you will be shown the next pill to be released into the jar of viruses so you know what to expect. While the gameplay remains the same as in previous incarnations, the N64 version of Dr. Mario features a few more modes. There is now a story mode that will allow you to choose to be Wario or Mario. The story unfolds as you complete each new puzzle challenge. It’s not a fantastic mode, but it does add some adventure to the one player sessions. Probably the best addition to the game is the multiplayer mode. Now 4 players can go head to head to see who is the best doctor. In addition you can play team battle and gang up on your friends. The competition can get heated very quickly, but lacks the punch seen in The New Tetris for N64.

Graphically the game looks like a Super NES game. There aren’t any fancy special effects or 3D modes to choose from (like Pokemon Puzzle). I felt that the very least the programmers could have done was include a high-res mode for those with an expansion pak. The music is the same from the NES and Game Boy games released so long ago. Sure, they’ve been revamped a bit and the nostalgia is nice, but there’s nothing new here. In fact, the same can be said for the entire game. There’s just not enough new features or improvements to warrant purchasing the game unless you’ve never before experienced a Dr. Mario game.

Dr. Mario is the cheapest game yet to debut on the N64. At $29.99 many may be tempted to give it a try. If you liked previous incarnations of the game you know what you’re getting yourself into. The 4 player mode alone is probably enough incentive to buy the game if you’re a fan of puzzle games. Had there been no other competition in this genre Dr. Mario would definitely score higher. However, both Pokemon Puzzle League and The New Tetris are better puzzle games with more innovation and just plain more fun to play. In fact, if I were to buy only one puzzle game on the N64 I’d pick The New Tetris for its highly addicting 4 player mode. Dr. Mario is too little too late and definitely isn’t what the doctor ordered.