                        SONIC & KNUCKLES
                                FAQ
                        FOR THE GENESIS

by GavLuvsGA@aol.com. Write to this address if you have any comments about 
this FAQ, but PLEASE refer to the game in the title. Emails with subjects 
like "Hey" or (No Subject) may be ignored, unless I recognise (or think I 
recognise) your SN. I know it sounds mean, but for all I know you could be 
trying to send me a virus.

Version 2: 03 - 08 - 00

Copyright notice: The contents of this FAQ are the property of the author. 
Copying of any part of this without including my name is basically not 
allowed.

Revision History:

Version 2 ( 03 - 08 - 00)

Added debug mode section.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONTENTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 Characters
2 Items
3 Baddies
4 Special Stages
5 Bonus Stages
6 Walkthrough (Sonic/Tails)
7 Walkthrough (Knuckles)
8 Lock into Sonic 2
9 Lock into Sonic 3
10 Lock into Sonic 1 (secret)
11 Level Select Cheat
12 *NEW!* Debug Mode (when locked into Sonic 3)


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 CHARACTERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

The all - familiar spiked blue hedgehog. Need I say more?

TAILS THE FOX

Tails only appears at the end, unless you lock in to Sonic 3 (I don't know 
why they don't make him a character in the game on its own, as it is VERY 
hard to get up to the Mushroom Hill Zone when playing the whole thing as 
Tails. Tails can fly if you press jump twice, and can carry Sonic if you are 
playing as both characters together.

KNUCKLES THE ECHINDA

Knuckles is the guardian of the chaos emeralds; he can glide if you press 
jump twice, and can also climb walls and bash down walls that the other 
characters cannot. If you're playing as Sonic and/or Tails, he will think you 
are after the emeralds and will try and stop you.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 ITEMS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These can be found in the item boxes around the level.

SUPER RING

Gives you 10 rings (I'm assuming you all know what rings do...)

SHOES

Speeds you up temporarily

INVINCIBILITY

Makes you invincible, but you can still be crushed, drowned or fall off the 
bottom of the screen.

WATER SHIELD

Sadly redundant on Sonic and Knuckles on its own, this protects you from 
drowning. The only drawback is that there is no water on the levels found in 
this game. You can perform a bounce by pressing double jump (but only if 
you're Sonic).

FIRE SHIELD

This will protect you from fire. Sonic can preform a fireball attack by 
pressing jump twice.

LIGHTNING SHIELD

Allows you to perform a really high jump as Sonic, and also attracts rings 
(but watch you don't lose your shield, or all the rings will bounce away). 
Attack is warded off and you are safe from electricity.

ROBOTNIK

Don't touch; it has the same effect as being hit.

1 - UP

Bears a picture of you character on. Speaks for itself.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 BADDIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUTTERDROID (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE)

This simply flies around annoyingly.

BLASTER (FLYING BATTERY ZONE)

Fires bullets at you from in front, but is unprotected otherwise.

CHAINSPIKE (DEATH EGG ZONE)

These are virtually impossible to attack because of their spikes. Be 
particularly wary of the bottom one as it can be lowered down to hit you.

TOXOMISTER (LAVA REEF ZONE)

Very nasty; if you get caught in the gas cloud this emits, you will begin to 
lose rings, until you die. To escape, press left/right very fast. 
Fortunately, it can be killed.

TECHNOSQUEEK (FLYING BATTERY ZONE)

Not a particularly nasty bad guy, this robot mouse runs fast along floors, 
walls and ceilings.

CLUCKOID (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE)

This weather cockerel packs a puff; it will blow when you come bnear and try 
to blow you away.

MUSHMEANIE (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE)

Takes two hits to kill, due to its protective casing.

FIREWORM (LAVA REEF ZONE)

Appears out of holes in the wall; fairly easy, but avoid its spikes.

DRAGONFLY (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE)

Again, aboid its spikes and you will be okay.

SANDWORM (SANDOPOLIS ZONE)

Leaps out of the quicksand found about the level.

MADMOLE (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE)

Appears out of holes and throws mushrooms at you. These won't hurt you, but 
will knock you back, possibly into danger. They will keep coming back after 
you kill them (unlike most baddies).

EGGROBO 

This baddie appears on Sky Sanctuary Zone if you're playing as Sonic or Tails 
and fires lasers. If you're playing as Knuckles, one will take the place of 
Robotnik in nearly every battle.

SKORP (SANDOPOLIS ZONE)

The nastiest bad guyin the level, this has a sting that can stretch a long 
way.

SPIKEBONKER (DEATH EGG ZONE)

Leap over the spike ball this baddie throws and you will be okay.

LIVING STONE (SANDOPOLIS ZONE)

Probably the most useless baddie in the game. It looks like a stone, but gets 
up when you come close. Touching it won't kill you, its only attack is to 
shove you around and you can easily spin dash it to death.

MECHA SONIC (SKY SANCTUARY ZONE)

Comes to attack Sonic three times, but is not very original.

ROBOTNIK 

Of course, this is the guy Sonic and Tails are after...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 SPECIAL STAGES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are found in giant rings hidden around the level. You don't need any 
rings to get in (unlike previous games). The aim is to navigate through the 3 
- D world, collecting all the blue spheres. Be warned, though; when you 
collect them, they become red. Red spheres will warp you straight out if you 
touch them. Also, the white spheres will act as bumpers and the new yellow 
ones will catapult you forward about three squares (very useful).

Also, you can get a number of rings found on the level and collecting them 
all gives you a "perfect" bonus score of 50, 000 (and an extra life). Some 
rings are hidden in blocks of nine or more blue spheres; to get these, run 
around the outside and they will all become rings.

After collecting all the chaos emeralds, you can turn Super Sonic or Super 
Knuckles if you have 50 rings.  To become super, press jump twice; for some 
reason, this will not work with Sonic if you have a shield, but will will 
work with Knuckles even with a shield. When you have all the emeralds, the 
big rings will give you 50 rings for collecting them. Note, however, that 
when you are super, your ring total will slowly count down to zero, so keep 
collecting. When it hits zero, you change back to normal. In the normal game, 
Tails cannot go super, but it is possible to get Super Tails (see Debug Mode 
chapter).

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 BONUS STAGES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To access one, hit a star post. For some reason, the number of rings you need 
was reduced here from 50 to a pathetic 20! If you have enough, a star ring 
will appear and you can jump inside. There are two special stages:

FRUIT MACHINE BONUS

This is like a mixture of the fruit machines from the Casino Night Zone 
(Sonic 2) and the special stage from Sonic 1. You are in a roatating stadium, 
and you must manoevre yourself to the centre to collect rings and enter the 
fruit machine. Here are the scores you get for each picture:
1 Bar = 2 rings
2 Bars = 4 rings
3 Bars = 6 rings
3 Rings = 20 rings (not sure on this one actually)
3 Tails = 25 rings
3 Knuckles = 30 Rings
3 Sonics = 50 Rings
3 Jackpots = 100 Rings
Combination of Jackpot and any other picture = Twice the value of that picture
3 Robotniks or combination of Robotniks and Jackpots = Lose 100 rings

To leave the stage, hit one of the red "goal" spheres at the edge. Note that 
if the tiles on the wall are hit enough times, these will become red spheres 
too.

SHAFT BONUS

Use the spheres to propel yourself up the shaft, grabbing rings and hidden 
objects (extra lives, shields, rings) from the bubbles that appear. But watch 
out, as there is a forcefield chasing you up, and if you touch it, you leave 
the stage. You can also leave by going out of the top of the shaft.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6 WALKTHROUGH (SONIC/TAILS) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEVEL 1: MUSHROOM HILL ZONE

Best shield: Flame

This is an easy level; use the mushrooms as springs, as well as seesaws. The 
hardest element is probably the winches; to use these, grab hold of one of 
the hooks and keep pressing down to be raised up. Also, the spinning handles 
are best used if you run towards them, and you will spin round, and can jump 
off, performing a large leap.Watch out, however, for the vines that cling to 
you. If one grabs yo, spindash to get away.

ACT 1 BOSS

This guy will start to hack down one of the trees; killing it is really 
simple; keep hitting the boss, and most of the logs will miss you. You should 
be ablke to kill the boss before it finishes, but if not, it will attack you, 
then fly off to another tree. A flame shield is useful for hitting the 
underside.

In act two, Knuckles will blow you up to a separate section of the level, 
although you sopon rejoin the main route. The scenery, however, will change 
from spring to Autumn. Thankfully it changes back later in the level. Not 
much else to say here. On to the...

ACT 2 BOSS

This is Robotnik's first appearance. First you will see a satellite dish, 
emitting radio waves, so smash it (its best to spindash). Chase Robotnik, 
avoiding the spike balls on the trees and hit Robotnik, but NOT when his jets 
are on (unless you possess a flame shield). Eventually, he'll start to blow 
up, before crashing into a tree. Open the prison egg on the other side.

Now, watch as the Flying Battery (and Robotnik) flies overhead; Sonic will 
grab on (Tails flies up).

LEVEL 2: FLYING BATTERY ZONE

Best shield: Lightning

This is where Robotnik makes his prison eggs! The level is full of them, and 
breaking some open reveals rings (others reveal baddies, or springs). There 
are many ways to get crushed on this level too, including when riding the 
corkscrew lifts, which spiral up and down through the levels, and the half - 
spike balls, that are pulled up and down by the magnetic ceilings. When the 
ceiling is turned off, make sure you are not under the ball, or it will crush 
you to death. Likewise, if the ceiling is low, don't be over it when it 
rises. In larger rooms, however, these can be used to reach higher platforms. 
The magnetic ceilings will also pull up small spike balls and robots (I'm 
surprised they don't attract Sonic's rings).

ACT 1 BOSS

Jump on the prison egg and it will come to life, and flail two arms around. 
Simply wait on top until it gets ready to thump you. et out of the way, and 
the boss will hit itself. Repeat five times.

ACT 2 BOSS

First you will be in a small room, with Robotnik activating a laser. You can 
hit the laser, but you cna't damage it. Simply get out of the way when it 
fires downwards. The only problem is the room gets smaller, until you have 
barely any room. Fortunately, the laser eventually explodes and Robotnik 
runs. Chase him, past a star post, and the floor will start to rise. Make 
your way through the ship before you are squashed flat against the ceiling 
and Robotnik will appear at the top in a ship. He will move along, under the 
platform, occasionally spwing flames. Wiat until his ship surfaces above the 
platform and hit him before he goes away. Also avoid his spiked arms (really 
easy).

After opening the prison egg, Sonic will roll off the ship to...

LEVEL 3: SANDOPOLIS ZONE

Best shield: Lightning

You start off in the desert; this is one of the best zones as thereare loads 
of routes you can take (especially if you have Tails). Sonic on his own is 
slightly inhibited. When you're right at the bottom of the screen, don't sink 
into the quicksand or you will die (although further up, it does lead to 
underground chambers). Also, you can push the stone blocks forward and use 
them to cross gaps.

ACT 1 BOSS

This is an unusual boss. Stand right of the statue and when its head appears, 
hit it, before it can leap towards you. It will be knocked back. Keep going 
until you knock it into the quicksand, and it explodes.

Act two takes you inside the pyramid. You will be in the dark, so turn on the 
lights by pulling the cord. This level consists of opening several doors by 
pushing the black switches and then running through the doors before they 
close. A little way into the level, you will land on a prison egg, releasing 
hordes of ghosts. This is where the level gets exciting; a ghost will begin 
flying around, and - if left alone, will be joined by another (and the lights 
will dim); thse will be joined by a third, and it will be nearly pitch black 
(and the ghosts are massive). After a little while, they'll come in droves to 
attack you. To stop this, pull every switch you appear and every ghost will 
vanish. Ther toughest part is perhaps when you have to burst open the sand 
pipes, which will begin to fill thje level with sand, which will rise. Keep 
going so you are not crushed (it gets really hectic later, as you have to 
open gates quickly). 

ACT 2 BOSS

Dr. Robotnik will appear in a large statue. When its left foot sticks forward 
(the right foot is in the background), jump up onto it, and hit the statue. 
The top will vanish temporarily, exposing Robotnik, so attack him while you 
can. Watch out for the lasers, though. Also, beware of getting crushed 
against the back wall (but you would have to be a badplayer for that to 
happen.) Run right to the prison egg. Weird fact: If you run forward quickly 
enough, you will see an image of the statue in the door, which collapses 
quickly. It's true!

Sonic will now fall into:

LEVEL 4: LAVA REEF ZONE

Best shield: Flame

This is slightly easier than Sandopolis. Watch out for the lava. At one point 
in the level, you will find yourself faced with some sort of pneumatic drill. 
Keep hitting it until it is destroyed, but watch out as the floor will 
collapse, and you must land on one of the platforms in the middle of the 
lava. Also, watch out for the rolling spike balls. At one point you will find 
one rolling round a pillar. Run past when it is behind the pillar, and then 
run, as it will begin to chase you down. Drop down to the level below and it 
will roll over the top. Continue along this path. Phew!

ACT 1 BOSS

A large hand will appear and follow you. It will try and clasp over you, so 
get out of the way and hit the hand. It will vanish and two spheres will 
appear, throwing energy balls at you. If you have a shield, no problem; 
otherwise, avoid like the plague. You can destroy them (each takes three 
hits), but it isn't necessary. The hand will reappear and it takes six hits 
to destroy.

At this point, the entire level freezes over. The next stage is the same, 
except frozen, meaning there is less lava (but still fire cannons). There are 
a few new objects, such as the horizontal rotating tubes, with hndholds on, 
which you must grab, then press jump and up to get to higher points in the 
level. If you managed to beat act one, this shouldn't be too much of a 
problem. 
N.B. You must collct all the chaos emeralds before leaving this zone.

ACT 2 BOSS

As you get to the end of the act, you will ascend a flight of steps to where 
Knuckles is waiting (I bet you wondered where he'd got to), with a rock. He 
will push it down the stairs, knocking you off. You will land above a lava 
pit, with the Death Egg directly above you. After a flash, Robotnik hovers in 
in the background and fires missiles at you. Quickly, head rihgt, as the 
platforms will collapse behind you. Reach the starpost, then cross the chasm 
using the moving platforms. You cannot go down until you are right over (or 
you die). Grab a flame shield if you don't already have one, it makes the 
boss a walkover. Get down to the bottom and you will land in a platform in 
the lava. Robotnik will appear and you cannot attack him as his ship is 
protected by spikes. He will tip up the lava and shoot three spike balls in 
the air. Keep leaping from platform to platform (if you have a flame shield 
it won't matter if you touch the lava), and avoid the balls. They will all 
hit Robotnik. Repeat this until his craft is destroyed. The lava will freeze 
again and the prison egg will hover in.

Now Sonic can cross the lava and enter 

LEVEL 5: HIDDEN PALACE ZONE

This is the easiest (and shortest) zone ever made. Run along, and pass the 
starpost, and you will meet Knuckles. Fight him (he will try and punch you, 
spindash you and glide at you), until he is knocked out. You will hear a 
crash from the right. Follow Knuckles and you will see Robotnik stealing the 
Master Emerald (that's the big green one, by the way). Knuckles will attack 
Robotnik, who will electrocute him. You can attack him if you like, but it 
won't help. The floor will also collapse and the three of you will fall to a 
room below. Although it isn't clear, Knuckles now realises that Sonic is 
trying to stop Robotnik, and he will punch down a wall. Follow him and he 
will jump into a teleporter. Jump in after him, and go to:

LEVEL 6: SKY SANCTUARY ZONE

When you arrive, watch the Death Egg rise up, jettisoning bad guys. Knuckles 
will flick a switch for you to continue (before collapsing, exhausted). 
Simply get up through the level, using the teleporters to warp between 
floors. You will meet Mecha Sonic here, and will fight him three times. 

1

This is a repeat of the Green Hill Zone boss from the original; jump onto one 
of the floating platforms and attack Mecha Sonic a few times, before 
retreating into the corner. He will produce what looks like a giant bauble, 
which he swings back and forth. When it swings away from you, jump up and hit 
him. Eight hits will see him packing.

2

This time (like in the Metropolis Zone from Sonic 2), he will fly around with 
eight spheres orbiting his ship. Jump over him, and wait for the spheres to 
spin all over the place, before hovering in around him in a level circle. Hit 
him and a sphere will fly off (it looks just like Mecha Sonic in his ship). 
Spin into it to destroy it. Repeat until they are all gone, then avoid his 
lasers and hit him once more to destroy him.

3

Now, its hand - to - hand combat, as Mechas Sonic will leap at you, slide at 
you, and many other things. Don't hit him when he's curled up, and go for him 
when he's in a corner of the screen. Eventually he'll short circuit, and 
yo've finished it. This level, like the last, has only one act. Now, Sonic 
and/or Tails will leap off onto a spiral platform that appears (just before 
the entire level collapses), and will run up, in one of the best sequences 
yet. At the top they will see the Death Egg, which they leap aboard.

LEVEL 7: DEATH EGG ZONE

Best shield: Lightning

The best zone in the game by far, this has some great methods of 
transporaation, including platforms that cross large electric systems. These 
will change direction when a character lands on the (e.g. if you jump). If 
you have Tails wilth you, this can be a problem, as he will land on the 
platform after you, causing it to change direction and go the wrong way. 
Jumping won't work, as Tails will copy you, so instead, take the player 2 
control and make Tails jump.
Another new idea is the machine that carries you all over the place in some 
sort of soundwave, breaching a lot of the level, and getting you to otherwise 
unreachable places. 
At one point in the level, you will enter an anti - gravity chamber with a 
large metal thing with switches, which you must press (fly into them) before 
progressing.

ACT 1 BOSS

A really great (and difficult) boss, this consists of an eye in the middle of 
a pillar, with balls orbiting it. It's best to have a lightning shield 
(otherwise, hope you have enough rings to go supersonic), and jump and hit it 
about two times when the balls are circling the base. Be careful, as each hit 
causes a ball to explode into shrapnel. After all have been destroyed, the 
eye will leave the pillar and float back and forth, with two spike platforms 
around it. Hit it, and run away quick before it goes beserk and chases you, 
with a laser coming out of its abopve and under it. Keep going until the boss 
is destroyed.

You will now be sucked into a tube which takes you to the top of the Death 
Egg. In act two, you will be faced with reverse gravity. This takes place via 
a number of ways, including going down the anti - gravity pipes, stepping on 
a switch that reverses gravity, and going up and down narrow tubes. When 
gravity is reversed, you will be walking on the ceiling (very fun, once you 
get the hang of it).

ACT 2 BOSS

First attack

Robotnik will control a large robot, which you cannot hit, as it protects 
itself with a shield (there are two if you play as Sonic and Tails together). 
It will begin throwing ball - bombs at you. Enter the anti - gravity pipe and 
the bombs will fall to the ceiling. They are now upside down. Here, you can 
spin dash them and they will fly up and hit the boss. Also, if it is caught 
by them as you reverse gravity, they will also score a hit, but watch out for 
the shrapnel they emit. Eventually it will be destroyed, so chase Robotnik 
off screen.

Note: You will now restart from here if you die, and you will not be able to 
collect rings.

Second Attack

Robotnik will jump into a giant robot. It will try and clasp you with its 
fingers, which you must destroy individually (each takes two hits).

Third Attack

This is the hardest; the boss will move towards you, breaking up the platform 
(which, fortunatley, goes on for ever ;)
Jump over the fire he spews, then jump at his belly, exposing Robotnik and 
the Master Emerald. He will begin to fire up a laser. Wait until the last 
moment before leaping at Robotnik, and the laser will miss you. Bounce back 
onto the main platform and keep going until the robot is destroyed.

Fourth Attack

It's not over yet. Robotnik will fly off with the emerald. Run after him, and 
don't stop as the platform is collapsing. Keep hitting him, but make sure you 
don't fall to your death when you deflect off him. Eventually he'll drop the 
emerald. Jump onto it and Sonic will go supersonic. If you are playing as 
Tails, you will have now completed the game.

LEVEL 8: THE DOOMSDAY ZONE

You are supersonic, and you are flying through an asteroid field. Keep 
collecting rings because if your ring total hits zero, you will fall to your 
death. The asteroids will slow you down. You will catch up with Robotnik in a 
blue ship (well, you don't see him, but I assume he's in there). He will fire 
missiles in threes, which will chase you. Circle round him and fly past the 
robot's head, and the missiles will hit Robotnik. Eight hits and it will blow 
up. But it's not over. Afte rit leaves the screen, another robot, similar to 
the one on the last level, will appear, and it has the Master Emerald. Keep 
chasing it, avoiding its bullets and the asteroids (you are now in a 
continuous loop, but therings will - thankfully - regenerate themselves). 
Keep ramming Robotnik (who I assume is inside), and eventually this robot 
will blow up, leaving Sonic free to grab the Master Emerald. Tails will 
conveniently fly in with his bi - plane to catch you.

It's over ... or is it? After the credits, you will get an extra scene at the 
end, which features an Eggrobo appearing from the wreckage of the Death Egg. 
The story isn't over yet; this is where the Knuckles version comes in.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 WALKTHROUGH (KNUCKLES) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note: For more detailed descriptions of levels, see the previous section. I 
am simply covering which bits are different for Knuckles.

This version has a small intro, in which the Eggrobo I mentioned earlier 
appears and throws a bomb at Knuckles, who then chases after the robot. You 
will have to fight him instead of Robotnik.

LEVEL 1: MUSHROOM HILL ZONE

This is generally the same as for Sonic, except you take some different 
routes. Also, the act 1 boss is slightly harder as he throws his logs at an 
angle instead of straight ahead (more dangerous).

LEVEL 2: FLYING BATTERY ZONE

This is exactly the same as for Sonic. The act 2 boss (Robotnik here, BTW) is 
slightly harder, as he throws more flames.

LEVEL 3: SANDOPOLIS ZONE

Act 1 is the same, except with more choices of route (due to Knuckles' 
abilities). In act 2, the ghosts will alreay have been released and will 
begin to attack you as soon as you arrive, until you switch on the lights. 
Knuckles has two choices of route at the start; he can also climb up the wall 
at the start, and take a slightly different route. Near the end, Sonic and 
Knuckles' routes split and Knuckles has a puzzle facing him. You will be 
faced with a switch which you can open, but retracts too fast, before yoyu 
can enter the door. Go to the top of the room and break the sand tube, 
fillinmg the lowever half of the room with sand. This fills up the hole left 
of the switch and allows you to push the rock across and wedge it open. In 
the next room, open the swtich, climb up the wall on the left and carefully 
glide over the spikes (this may take some practice). Gedt through the door 
before it closes.
N.B. This zone is Knuckles' last chance to collect all the chaos emeralds.

LEVEL 4: LAVA REEF ZONE

Knuckles takes a completely different (and harder) route than Sonic and Tails 
here, joining the main route only to fight the mid - boss. In act two, go 
straight ahead and bash through an ice wall, entering a tube. This bit is 
very tough, especially the section where you must climb a shaft, avoiding the 
fire cannons (but hopefully you will have enough rings to go super). There is 
no boss at the end of this act.

LEVEL 5: HIDDEN PALACE ZONE

This is just a way to put in some contimuity really, as you cannot possibly 
fail this zone. All you do is run and and warp out using a teleporter. It 
takes all of 12 seconds to do.

LEVEL 6: SKY SANCTUARY ZONE

This is Knuckles' last level.
Eggrobo will come to grab you; don't try and stop him, you can't. He will 
hold you above Mecha Sonic, who will try to kill you. Forunately, Knuckles 
will escape just in time and Mecha Sonic will destroy Eggrobo.
Collect the three rings and figt Mecha Sonic (he's the same as with Sonic), 
until he short circuits. It's not over, though. At this point, get ready to 
jump out of the way when he slides across the screen to the Master Emerald, 
which will turn him Super. He will fly around the screen, attacking you now 
and again. Wait until his powers wear out and hit him. Aftewr six hits he 
will become weaker and shoot enegry balls at you. Wait until he temporarily 
loses his power, and hit him twice more to destroy him. Sonic will now rescue 
Knuckles, and the emerald, just before the floor collapses.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8 LOCK INTO SONIC 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Locking onto Sonic 2 means you can play the entire game s Knuckles. You can 
also access new areas that Sonic and Tails cannot reach. On Chemical Plant 
Zone act 1, for example, there are a few bonuses that you must climb up to 
get (explore). One good bonus comes at the end of the last tube on act 1; 
climb up the tower on your right and you will find a 1 up. Glide to your left 
and you will reach another tower with a 1 up. Further left is yet another one.
Basically, this is just Sonic 2 with Sonic replaced by Knuckles (1 player as 
Knuckles is your only option, and you can't have Tails following you.)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9 LOCK INTO SONIC 3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Locking into Sonic 3 gives you a fourteen level game comrising of both Sonic 
3 and this game (called "Sonic 3 and Knuckles"). Knuckles will take different 
routes on most levels. The differences are listed below.

LEVEL 1 ANGEL ISLAND ZONE

To reach the first boss, you must bash through some rocks at the end of act 
1. It also fires bombs at you, making it tougher to hit. After this you will 
enter a new route (already programmed into Sonic 3, but inaccessible in the 
game alone). It is pretty dull actually, just a passageway, and Sega didn't 
bother to include any bonus rings. Eggrobo will fire twice as many fireballs 
as Robotnik would in the act 2 showdown (also, Robotnik's flying ship does 
not appear to drop bombs on Knuckles).

LEVEL 2: HYDROCITY ZONE

This is mostly the same, until you reach the bit where Knuckles usually drops 
you through the floor. You can now enter the section where Knuckles was, and 
go through a new section (this involves a lot of gliding over spikes). The 
boss is slightly harder as he doesn't come down, so you must use the bombs to 
catapult yourself up.

LEVEL 3: MARBLE GARDEN ZONE

The end is different as the usual route is blocked off and Knuckles must 
climb up to a wall that only he can knock down. From here, hit the stone face 
three times to open the ceiling; climb up and get past the earthquake (where 
the floor rises and tries to crush you). The boss is totally different; 
instead of a spectacular flying battle, you enter a small room. A spiked line 
will shoot through the room twice; avoid it. The boss will now follow the 
line and it is at this point you can damage him. It is very easy!

LEVEL 4:CARNIVAL NIGHT ZONE

Very straightforward (and easy), this takes an entirely different route. You 
will briefly cross Sonic and Tails' route at the start of act 2, but then you 
must punch through a wall and proceed along a new route (and the water is 
gone). There is no boss at the end of act 2, just a prison egg and a 
teleporter to...

LEVEL 5: ICE CAP ZONE

Knuckles takes a few different routes (including one where you must glide 
across a room, avoiding spiked balls; very fun). You must take a lower route 
to the act 1 boss and act 2 takes place in the tunnels. The act 2 boss is 
slightly harder as he keeps retracting the platform you should be using to 
hit him (which makes avoiding the ice blasts a lot harder).

LEVEL 6: LAUNCH BASE ZONE

This is the same up until the tower Knuckles blew up on Sonic 3. Here you 
must climb up and open a door, which leads to the boss. Instead of one, two 
robots with spiked rotating arms will appear. This is a lot harder and you 
will probably get hit a few times. After three hits they lose one arm, and 
take another three to kill.
Act 2 takes a different (and straightforward) route. At the end, you must 
burst through a pipe that raises the water, so get out quick. Then punch 
through some blocks and go to Robotnik.
Whichever character you have, you will have to fight Robotnik in his three 
tiered, flame shooting craft, but if you have Sonic and/or Tails, you must 
fight the base's first boss first (Robotnik rolling balls at you, with a 
platform to hit him from). If you are Knuckles, you must also fight Sonic 3's 
final boss, which flies across trhe screen using a claw hand (don't touch as 
you'll lose your shield/rings, four times, before hovering around the top, 
falling and then hovering at the bottom before flying off. Whatever you do, 
don't become Super Knuckles, as the claw can still make you lose all your 
rings. Even if you collect them, your counter will soon go down to zero, and 
you will be unprotected.
At the end of this level, you will go to the Mushroom Hill Zone.

If you have all the chaos emeralds here, you are in for a surprise. If you're 
Sonic and/or Tails, you will see Knuckles appear out of a passage, which he 
closes with a switch. Open the passage (you don't need to, but its fun) and 
go in. There is a giant ring, only its multicoloured (as Knuckles, you'll 
just see one ahead of you.) Get in it and you will be warped to Hidden Palace 
Zone, where you will be amongst the Super Emeralds which you will have 
probably have seen alongside the master emerald when you played before. They 
are all dull and grey, but if you jump on one you will be warped to a special 
stage where you can play to win that emerald (it will then become coloured). 
The special stages you play will be the Sonic & Knuckles ones. When you have 
collected them all, you can become Hyper Sonic/Hyper Knuckles (very cool 
indeed).
Also, when you play as Sonic or Tails, there is an extra bit on the end 
credits, where you see Knuckles in the Angel Island Zone, with the Master 
Emerald.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 LOCK INTO SONIC 1 (SECRET) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you lock into any other game, you will receive a picture of Sonic, Tails, 
Knuckles and Robotnik and the message "No Way". However, if you go into Sonic 
1, and press A,B and C simultaneously, the message "get blue spheres" comes 
up. There are hundreds of levels of special stages, all of varying 
difficulty. Getting all the rings on any stage will advance you through 10 
levels! You can play as Sonic or Knuckles (press A, B or C on the main screen 
to alternate).

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11 LEVEL SELECT CHEAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WITHOUT SONIC 3

Go into Sonic and Knuckles on its own and play as Sonic. In Mushroom Hill, go 
to the first pulley and hang on. Press down three times, left three times, 
right three times and up three times and a bell will ring. You can now access 
the level select screen by pressing A and start on the title screen. 

WITH SONIC 3

Go to Angel Island Zone and grab hold of any vine, then press the same 
combination as above, to get the level select screen. To access it, press 
down twice on the title screen and a sound test option will become available; 
go into it. You can also change yor character by pressing C; who you are 
depends on the number shown near the top of the screen;
0 = Sonic & Tails
1 = Sonic
2 = Tails
3 = Knuckles

You can also access some pretty wierd stuff:

TAKE KNUCKLES TO THE LAVA REEF ZONE BOSS

With Knuckles selected, go to the world labelled "Lava Reef Act 3" (act 4, 
BTW is Hidden Palace Zone), and you will find yourself at the start of the 
Lava Reef Zone boss. You can play it as normal (and you will be fighting 
Robotnik, not Eggrobo), but when you finish the level, the game will default 
to the Knuckles versio of the Hidden Palace Zone, and you cannot enter the 
room where you fight Knuckles (therefore you cannot have Knuckles fight his 
doppelganger (Sega probably realised this and programmed a different, 
otherwise useless version of the zone).

TAKE KNUCKLES TO THE DEATH EGG

You can also take Knuckles to the Death Egg Zone, in a similar manner. 
Interestingly, Sega programmed it so you do see Eggrobo after defeating the 
final robot. However, the moment you touch the Super Emerald, the game will 
restart itself.

TAKE TAILS AND KNUCKLES TO THE DOOMSDAY ZONE

If you click on the Doomsday Zonbe with Tails or Knuckles selected, you can 
play the level, but your character will turn into a blur. Even wierder, if 
you selected Tails, the ring counter does not appear to go down!

                            *NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 12 DEBUG MODE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only way I have found to access Debug mode is to lock in Sonic 3 and do 
the level select cheat. Now do the level select cheat for Sonic & Knuckles 
and you can do debug mode with ANY character(s) by pressing B, and A to 
change objects (press C to place them). Unlike other Sonic games, the Score 
will not screw up until you press B. If you press A while playing as normal, 
gravity will be reversed, and you will float up to the ceiling (the won't 
affect other objects though). However, if there is no ceiling, you will be 
killed. However, while in debug mode, you can stop yourself dying by becoming 
an object as your character's corpse bounces off the screen. Take yourself to 
somewhere safe and press B again, and you will be resurrected!
You can also have Super Tails by doing this, as if you select the TV set 
option, and have your character break it open, they will become super! Super 
Tails has a gang of yellow birds following him around, although I have no 
idea why!
Oh, and try to look for a very secret room in Death Egg Zone act 1. It 
contains some item boxes, but for some reason you cannot enter it the normal 
way (strange but true).

End of FAQ. If you have any comments, complaints or hints, please email 
GavLuvsGA@aol.com (so long as its nothing patronising like pointing out a 
speeling mistace!)

