Year released: ? (Arcade), 1985 (NES)

Number of Players: 1-2 taking turns

Now that Mario has Donkey Kong safely locked up... Donkey Kong Jr. is here to save Donkey Kong!

Graphics: Same as Donkey Kong. From my Donkey Kong review: "The black background never fails to be bleak, and all of the sprites are horridly simplistic. However, I can't deny that this was acceptable at the time. There's even a bit of quaintness in such simplicity." The setting this time is a forest, though, so you get some nice greens in there and some weird animal and fruit sprites.

Play control: Almost the same as Donkey Kong. From my Donkey Kong review: "If you've ever played another Mario game, forget it. Mario [Donkey Kong Jr. in the case of Donkey Kong Jr.] has zip jumping ability and is kinda slow, which is especially troublesome for some of the jumps required. This just gives the game more challenge, though, and it's quite easy to get used to this older scheme. Just don't forget that if you fall too far you die!" There's some vine climbing, too, and you need to be aware of enemies and the ground when climbing.

Sound: Nothing really. Bleep here. Boop there. Turn down the volume.

Challenge: DK Jr. has to swing from vines while avoiding small crocodiles that travel down the vines and birds that fly through the air, not to mention catch a ride on a moving vine. A step up from Donkey Kong.

Gameplay: Unlike Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. poses more than a few challenges. You've got enemies left and right to worry about, and keeping track of your surroundings will take a little bit more effort. The result is gameplay that makes you watch every move you make, not necessarily a good thing (not pulled off in a bad way, either).

Bottom line: From my Donkey Kong review: "Don't expect anything that can grab your attention for a while like Pinball, but rather, something you can just pull out when you have a few minutes to kill." Donkey Kong Jr. is certainly different from Donkey Kong--it's more challenging and you will be returning to it more often to see if you can beat it. However, Donkey Kong Jr. loses some fun by that aspect (not as much free movement, you almost feel cramped).

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