The walk-throughs for the various stories will normally be quite brief. Because completing many levels is simply a matter of skill and not deduction, you'll be given a few tips to help you along. But worry not--a full explanation will be provided for the more involved levels.

Bianco Hills

A beautiful area composed of a modest village surrounded by green grass and rolling hills. There is a network of cables running along the tops of many poles in the area, and a large tower that's inaccessible at the beginning. The enemies here aren't overly ferocious, so take your time getting used to things and exploring this scenic area.

Episode One

he giant piranha plants don't pose too much of a challenge anyway, but at the top of a tree Mario is untouchable.

Things could get messy if this angry plant gets the chance to cough up more goop.

This advanced piranha plant is a bit stronger than the ones you've faced so far. Its primary method of attack is to cough up a clump of enemy-filled goop. When it prepares to spit, fill the creature's mouth with as much water as you can. After it's been forced to swallow too much, it'll topple over and expose its stomach. Perform a solid hip-drop on the creature's stomach to send the water back out and damage it. Repeat two more times and then recover the shine.

Episode Three

An obstacle course awaits you, but you'll probably want to take some time to play with your new nozzle.

Once you're in, simply make your way through the course (there's no time limit, so take all the time you need between jumps) and claim the shine at the end of the tunnel.

Episode Four

Each of the red coins resides in the village area. Comb the rooftops carefully to find them.

You can awaken the sleeping giant by using this pink fellow as a projectile.

The plant will take flight. Watch it and attempt to shoot it down when it's running out of steam. When it's on the ground, avoid its new tornado attack and wait for it to open its big mouth. Use the same strategy you used last time--fill it with water and stomp on the engorged belly. After three hits, the shine is yours.

Episode Six

Steering lily pads and boats can be a challenge. If you want to complete the game and get all the shines, it's a skill you'll need to master.

This is the most difficult obstacle course to date, but the extra life is easy to get and will allow you to repeat the course as long as you can make it past the first leg. At first, you'll need to time your jumps to the flipping of the panels, although Mario's superior traction allows him to walk to the other side when one flips. Spin-jump to the cube. React to the rotations to make sure you're always walking toward the new top surface, but don't move too far too quickly. Spin-jump again when the cube stops rotating to move to the next area of the course. Run past the arrows and do your best to stay on top of the second cube. The last section is just like the first. Be patient and you'll be rewarded with a shine.

Episode Seven

When the grease is gone, you're left with a beautiful shine.

How the coins got up here, you'll never know. Be sure to adjust the camera as needed while walking wires.