Sonic & Knuckles Collection contains Windows ports of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Blue Sphere. Sonic & Knuckles was a standalone Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game that featured a unique cartridge that could dock with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3 cartridges. When docked with Sonic 2, it made Knuckles a playable character, adding his unique gliding ability. Docking it with Sonic 3 turns the game into Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which added new levels in addition to making Knuckles a playable character. Sonic 3 was the first Sonic game to allow game progress to be saved. As usual, Sonic can run, spin dash, and jump on Doctor Robotnik's robotic bad guys, releasing the gentle animal within. Sonic's goal is to recover the Chaos Emeralds, though the game can be beaten without collecting them. Collecting all of the Chaos Emeralds turns Sonic into Super Sonic after collecting 50 rings. In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Super Emeralds can be collected to turn the hero into Hyper Sonic or Super Tails, making them even more powerful. The usual power-ups are present, as well as the basic gameplay premise that Sonic can collect rings, which he loses when he takes a hit, and he can be killed when he has no rings. Only Angel Island Zone in Sonic 3 & Knuckles is playable in the shareware demo.
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