Nintendo’s Classic Mario was one of the biggest hits on gaming consoles. While the game has long since been ported to the PC platform, it has problems running smoothly in Vista (as do most other older games).

If you’re craving for some of the old Mario-goodness on your Vista desktop, go and grab Secret Maryo Chronicles. Open source and relatively small (~80 MB installer), SMC sports an attractive interface and bears striking similarities to the old Mario game. You play as Maryo, a smart kid who has to move past potato monsters, straight walking turtles, flying-and-farting demons, clumsy red dragons, weird clowns, and life taking plants to advanced to higher worlds and their stages. You also get mushroom and flower powers the same way as in Mario.

Secret Maryo Chronicles is certainly a good choice if you’re looking for some light-hearted to while away boring hours.