As little Donkey Kong Jr., you're trying to reach the top of a treacherous series of vines and platforms to rescue your dad from Mario. (Coleco, 1982)

I'm a "junior" myself, so I understand that there are certain challenges involved in living up to the name of one's forebears. And though the little ape was going to have a big task in living up to his dad's name - after all, Kong Sr.'s game was the foundation of Nintendo's empire - the original Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game was a great deal of fun. But Coleco did Donkey Kong Jr. a grave injustice in its translation for the Atari 2600. The game is barely playable, making the Atari 2600 version of Donkey Kong look like a masterpiece in comparison. The graphics are atrocious, and the game is simply hard to control. In short, not a good formula to keep players coming back for more.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the next game in the original Donkey Kong series was licensed to someone other than Coleco...

Rating:  One dime - spend it at the parking meter, you'll get more entertainment value for your money.

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster