The Game: 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)
Memories: 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 / Mario series was licensed to someone other than Coleco…
