The classic platform game was first released in 1985 and has since become one of the biggest selling ever with more than 40 million copies flying off the shelves worldwide.

In the game brothers Mario and Luigi - now recognised the world over - try to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom in a bid to save Princess Peach.

Super Mario Bros 2 was released in 1988, and Super Mario Bros 3 in 1990. The third version was considered by many as the best, and has sold 18 million to date.

The poll of 2,000 gamers, conducted by www.onepoll.com, revealed 'old skool' games are still firm favourites with Britain's army of gamers.

Pac-Man, which was released in 1980, was voted into second place.

The tiny yellow character is as recognisable as Mario and is credited with changing the face of gaming by making it more accessible to everyone.

Pac-Man has since appeared on Game Boy, Commodore 64, Playstation, PSP, and Xbox 360, amongst others.

As well as the hype generated around the arcade game, Pac-Man merchandise took the World by storm in the 1980s with t-shirts and toys.

Third place in the poll went to another game from the 1980s; Tetris.