Many people my age spent significant time as a child glued to a television set playing a Nintendo.

Growing up in the ’80s, I was either playing little league sports or playing my Nintendo.

Homework took a backseat to both.

Much of that time was devoted to playing Super Mario games, the first three on Nintendo and ones later on Super Nintendo.

Our good friend Mario is celebrating his 25th anniversary since the release of “Super Mario Bros.” in 1985. That makes me feel much older than my actual age of 29, because it seems like just recently I sat on the top bunk I shared with my brother as I tried day after day to beat that first game.

Nintendo recognizes that the Mario games played an important part in most gamer’s lives, so they’ve commemorated the release of “Super Mario Bros.” with a special remake of “Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition” for the Wii.

The remake includes the first three games in the “Super Mario Bros.” series along with “Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.” This collection was first released for the Super Nintendo in 1993.

The remake is exactly what you’d expect. All three games are included in their entirety.

“Super Mario Bros.” is obviously one of the most popular, famous and influential games ever created, and it’s nice to go back and play through the original game.

“Super Mario Bros. 2” was such an odd creation and a departure from the first game’s formula. I forgot how completely different the game is from just about every other game in the series.

“The Lost Levels” is the game that really feels like the natural sequel to the original game.

“Super Mario 3” is the highlight here. Many argue that this is the best game of the entire series, and it’s hard to argue against that.

Of the time spent playing this collection on the Wii, I probably have spent more than 75 percent of the time playing “Super Mario 3.”

The collection also includes a book and a soundtrack spanning the series and retails for $29.99.

You can download the four games included for $5 each, however, on the Wii’s Virtual Console. So if you don’t care about the book and the soundtrack or if you only want one or two of the games, then going through the Virtual Console might be the best bet.

“Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition” presents a nice bit of nostalgia, but don’t expect more than the original games.