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Commodore 64 owners never fared well when it came to Nintendo games. Still, undaunted by past failures, Andreas "Mr. SID" Varga and team have dipped into the Big N's back catalogue and brought Donkey Kong Jr. to the C64. Daddy Kong is imprisoned in fat plumber Mario's cage. The bars are too strong for even the big ape to bend, so the cage door must be unlocked to set him free. In order to liberate dad, Junior has to follow Mario across four complicated levels. The first sees the little one climbing vines to reach Pops, whereas level two features platforms, chains and bird attacks.

Next up is some kind of factory where electrical sparks put a swift end to the wee ape. Finally, Kong is held at the top of Mario's tower and only by pushing all the keys into the locks can mini DK rescue his dad. Of course, in the time-honoured tradition, should you rescue Kong, Mario will only capture him again, restarting the Sisyphean process over again...

Donkey Kong Jr. on the C64 is actually a conversion of a conversion. Recognising the difficulties of squashing a vertical arcade game into a horizontal C64 screen, Mr. SID opted to port the Atari 7800 version, which was already adapted for home television screens. The end result is a game which feels like it was naturally designed for the Commodore... something we could have done with a lot more of back in the day!

Being of a certain age, I remember playing Donkey Kong Jr. in the arcades when it was first released in 1982. I loved it! Despite only having four screens, it was quite a challenging game. Making headway through each level required its own unique approach, with flocks of deadly birds, vine-crawling crocodiles, and a myriad of platforming hazards to avoid.

Playing this C64 conversion brings those old memories flooding back because it's a very faithful translation of the Shigeru Miyamoto-designed coin-op. It accurately recreates the look and feel of the original machine with authentic audio-visuals and gameplay that really shines. The jumping does occasionally feel a little stiff and vague, but then that is also true of the arcade version.

Other than that, I have no complaints: This cracking conversion of the original Donkey Kong Jr. coin-op is well worth a whirl.

Donkey Kong Jr. was one of those Atarisoft titles that didn't make it before the company was dissolved, so a modern version is very much welcome. Built on the Atari 7800 port, it looks the part, plays the part, and certainly offers a similar but in practice different gameplay challenge to its predecessor. However, it never engaged me as much for some reason; in fact, I found Nintendo's Game & Watch variant more addictive in the long run.

Not really the fault of this conversion, it can only be what it is meant to be, and as a piece of software, it's quite polished. If you haven't tried it before, it may take you several goes before you can reach level 2, let along free Donkey Kong the first time! So, chaps, any chance of Stargate, Joust or Vanguard in the future?

Being of a certain age, I remember playing Donkey Kong Jr. in the arcades when it was first released in 1982. I loved it! Despite only having four screens, it was quite a challenging game. Making headway through each level required its own unique approach, with flocks of deadly birds, vine-crawling crocodiles, and a myriad of platforming hazards to avoid.

Playing this C64 conversion brings those old memories flooding back because it's a very faithful translation of the Shigeru Myamoto-designed coin-op. It accurately recreates the look and feel of the original machine with authentic audio-visuals and gameplay that really shines. The jumping does occasionally feel a little stiff and vague, but then that is also true of the arcade version. Other than that, I have no complaints: This cracking conversion of the original Donkey Kong Jr. coin-op is well worth a whirl.

I have a soft spot for the arcade version of Donkey Kong Jr. as it stopped me from getting seasick on the ferry to France in 1986. I never thought I'd get to play it on my C64 though, but in this day and age it seems that anything is possible. Donkey Kong Jr. was a typical arcade game of its time, and its simple gameplay has translated very well to the C64.

Leaping around from screen to screen is hardly fresh, but it's still fun to go after high scores. Pity there's no high score table, though!

Donkey Kong Jr. is a highly polished effort which only suffers due to the nature of its gameplay. It's hardly an epic but, if confined to short bursts, it remains enjoyable every time you play.

Presentation 82%
Good arcade one- or two-player game, three difficulty settings, no high score table.

Graphics 79%
Good translation of the original game's simple sprites and backdrops.

Sound 77%
Arcade FX and SID-enhanced versions of the original's weak music.

Hookability 90%
Instantly addictive arcade action.

Lastability 76%
Only four different screens, but the challenge increases with every round.

Overall 81%
Great conversion with dubious lasting appeal due to the need to chase high scores.