Sure, Wonder Boy's bestiary isn't quite as timeless as Super Mario Bros' (curiously enough, Sega don't seem to sell effigies of the "golliwog in a grass skirt" enemy), its levels are a tiny bit more repetitious, its music is a hell of a lot less varied, and throwing a few too many axes can cause some pretty gnarly slowdown in the last couple worlds, but it handles very well for a 1987 home console platformer and enforces a sort of manic forward progression that's quite addictive.

This is one of the best games I have ever played on the Master system. I played the arcade version at a local bar. I didn't get this game on release as nobody did because back then you didn't know releases of games. I got this game a year later in 1988. I remember just loving this game. I would compare and brag that it was better than Super Mario Bros at the time. You shoot an ax and ride a skateboard in this as you save your girlfriend. Unlimited continues in this.