It's a pretty good classic Sonic game from the early '90s. The controls are as good as any other Sonic game from the era, but I don't think it's the best. The level design is, in my opinion, not very coherent. It seems to lack direction and loses points in my book for it. Now, the level design isn't terrible; it just isn't great. The music is awesome and the story is silly, yet charming.
Bottom line: A good game that just falls short of being great.