Think you know Mario? Check out the definitive guide

Unless you've been off your tits on the wrong mushrooms for the lasttwelve months, you'll know that this year marks Mario's 25th birthday. Personally we''ve always thought he looked at least 35, but the given that the guy's spent the last two and a half decades working hisarse off performing the kind of behind-enemy-lines extraction missions that would make the SAS wince,we think I can cut him some slack.

Anyway, as reward for all his years of slavish, selfless sacrifice, GamesMaster magazine are giving him his own issue. Fear not though, for the plumber will not be ousting all other gaming news with his bushy moustache of page-hogging tyranny. No, instead he's getting his own collector's edition special, which kickstarts a brand new 'GamesMaster Presents...' series of franchise-specific retrospectives. The guys from GM sit right next to us in the office, so we know it'll be good.

Over its 132 pages, it covers the plumber's complete history, game byeverysingle game. It also profiles Shigeru Miyamoto, interviews the wonderful and batshit mental voice of Mario, Charles Martinez (no word yet on whether that one will be transcribed phonetically in a Mario accent), details the series' greatest secrets, and a whole stack more. 132 pages. That's a lot to fill. So we talking stacks of stuff here. Also, count in Wii and DS skins, two posters and two badges. You know, for pinning on stuff to make stuff look cooler.

The special is out now in shops that sell magazines, or you can order it direct fromhere.