Donkey Kong

Three ways to climb

The first screen makes a ladder look like safety until a barrel threatens the approach. Climbing commits Mario to a line, while jumping needs a little space and a readable landing. The rivet stage changes the objective from reaching the top to removing supports, and the elevators demand a different sense of timing. The cartridge has enough variation to make each arrival matter, even though its three stage types do not reproduce the arcade game in full.

Learn where you can safely pause before climbing. The hammer provides temporary protection but changes what movement is available, so collecting it is a decision rather than an automatic improvement. Try reaching all three stage types before judging the whole cartridge from the barrel screen.

The game inside the console box

Nintendo’s arcade game appeared in 1981. ColecoVision brought its own conversion home in 1982 and included it with the US console. That bundle made a recognisable arcade game an immediate demonstration of the new hardware. Coleco’s instructions describe ramps, rivets and elevators; the omitted arcade stage is a reason to identify the version rather than call it an exact copy.