Mystic Cave Zone

Mystic Cave Zone is such a great fucken zone, man. Great music, and lots of awesome obstacles. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was very much an inferior platformer, compared to Super Mario Bros.... but still - awesome 16-bit soundtrack, and great little "rodenty" imagery. Plus, Dr. Robotnik was poaching little creatures - you free them from a "robotic animal prison" at the end of every level.