Wonder Boy puts the axes on auto-fire, so you can concentrate on moving from left to right, jumping over rocks and fires while bashing spiders and snails. (And "coal kids," an enemy that looks suspiciously like the tar baby that has kept Disney's "Song of the South" off of American DVD shelves.) The hero must also grab vegetables and fruits to replenish his always depleting vitality. If you avoid too much of nature's bounty, you will die.

Rounds are divided into four areas. One area might be in a cave, the next on an island (with clouds you can stand on), and the next in a forest. All end with a boss fight which is ended by repeatedly braining it with your axes. You can earn bonuses by picking up extra goodies, like milk, french fries, and dolls.

Wonder Boy looks remarkably like its original arcade form as well as the SMS port. The colors are so bright they may hurt the eyes of anybody that missed the 8-bit generation, back when everything was day-glo. The music is also perfectly looped. I was humming it within seconds, surprised how little of my gaming past I've let go of.