【明報專訊】Super Mario (馬里奧), one of the best-known characters in video game history, has celebrated his 30th birthday. To mark the series' 30th anniversary, Super Mario's developer Nintendo (任天堂) has released Super Mario Maker (《超級馬里奧製作大師》) on the Wii U console, which allows players to create their own worlds for Mario or use those created and shared through the Internet by other players.

Mario first hit the screens under his own name on 13 September 1985. He had earlier made an appearance under the name Jumpman in the Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong (《大金剛》). Nintendo has sold more than 310 million units featuring Mario fighting enemies as he races to rescue the princess.

With his distinctive red cap, blue overalls and moustache, the little plumber is instantly recognisable in the games market. "Mario now has a status in popular culture equal to Mickey Mouse's," said Florent Gorges, a French who has written a book about Nintendo's history.

Seeing that demand for its 3DS portable game system has weakened, Nintendo has decided to give up its consoles-only policy and step into the booming smartphone games market.

(source: Ming Pao, Agence France-Presse, Daily Mail)

■Photo story

Super Mario attempts to blow out the candles on a cake during his birthday party.

You can challenge others by creating your own world in Super Mario Maker.

■Words

console 遊戲機

arcade game街機遊戲

plumber 水管工

■Quiz

Choose the correct answers.

(answers on next text)

1. What is Super Mario Maker ?

a. a character

b. a game

c. a company

2. In paragraph 3, "overalls" refers to Mario's:

a. clothes

b. shoes

c. socks

3. What is the goal of Mario's adventure in the game?

a. to become a superman

b. to save the princess

c. to earn a big sum of money

4. According to the passage, why does Nintendo decide to step into the smartphone games market?

a. Smartphone games market generates larger profit

b. Nintendo is bored with 3DS portable games

c. Less people play 3DS portable games nowadays

■Glossary

instantly (adv) 立即

recognisable (adj) 可認出的

status (n) 地位

booming (adj) 興旺的