Before I get on with the review, I have to share some nostalgia with you.  I believe my first encounter with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was at the nearest Wal-Mart back in the late summer/early fall of 1992 and I remember seeing the game on display in the videogame section, and I played the Emerald Hill Zone, and I couldn't wait for the game to come out.  Fast forward several months later, and it's Christmas Day, and I got Sonic 2.  I spent most of the day playing this and even back then, I felt it was better than the first game (which is still a classic).  Over the years, I've given some deeper thought about which of the classic Sonic games is the best, I think Sonic 2 is the best of all because it retains a good challenge and fixes the flaws in Sonic 1.