The year is 1985 and a boy with a pocket full of quarters is heading down Jackson Square in New Orleans to a little dive across the street that housed three arcade games.  His favorite was a game that featured a little triangle and a fleet of invading ships and the other featured a little man that was determined to make his way up a series of platforms to rescue his true love from an overgrown ape.  Now imagine this boy a grown man who just melted at the idea that Nintendo was releasing a series of these now classic games and happy to find Donkey Kong among them and you pretty much get the picture of where I’m coming from.

For those fresh young gamers who haven’t been introduced to the game, Donkey Kong is a platform game that pretty much introduced Mario to the world.  Before running around the mushroom kingdom with his brother Luigi, an Italian plumber named Mario went on a daring quest to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the clutches of a big ape known as Donkey Kong.  This quest took him through a series of platforms and ladders that lead all the way up to a single platform that contained his girl who waited for him to rescue her.  Of course, this wasn’t going to be just a simple hop, skip and a jump up the ladder.  Donkey Kong is determined to keep Pauline for himself so he starts tossing barrel after barrel in Mario’s direction.  Suddenly, barrels strike an oil can and now Mario has to put up with the flames that seem determined to catch him.

Donkey Kong for the GBA will seem like a quick jaunt that’s over way before it has even begun.  For one thing, the game only contains three levels.  The first one has you moving through a simple enough series of platforms.  The second contains a series of lifts as well as Pauline’s scattered possessions that earn you some major points.  The last level contains a series of platforms much like the first level but there are rivets on the floor that disappear when you jump over them.  When all the rivets are gone, Donkey Kong is defeated and the game starts anew (only now the barrels move a lot faster).

As you can see, there’s nothing much to this game and aside from the mallet--that you temporarily wield for a short period of time to smash barrels and flames--and the lifts in the second level, gamers are not given any other form of variety.  Another downside is that the game is still as rigid and occasionally unresponsive as it was back in its day.  Those old-school gamers can probably still recall getting stuck for a second between the ladder and the next top floor.  Also, even if you timed your jump, Mario is still able to get struck.  Don’t get me wrong, the game is really fun but its fun that doesn’t last.  At its current price, though, Donkey Kong doesn’t feel like a bargain. 

Some good news, though, the game allows gamers to play against a friend using the GBA Link Cable and a single game cartridge.  A friend takes the second player turn during a two-player game and has you competing for the highest score.  The two-player game does add some replay value so share this one with a buddy.  The game also gives you some space to save your game so you can pick up and play again. 

Back in the day, Donkey Kong’s graphics were impressive enough to wow gamers who were bored of Atari’s early blocky, colorless character models.  Mario and our favorite ape had something we haven’t seen before . . . personality.  Sure they’re pretty bad compared to Super Mario Bros. but they did the trick and that’s all that really matters, right?

Say what you will about the game’s visuals but the somber start music and catchy opening theme jingle won’t fail to bring a smile to any hardcore gamer new or old.  So there’s no continuous running score or a variety of different tunes but what is here just works so well that you won’t mind the beeps and blips of Mario jumping or using his mallet on a barrel. 

Donkey Kong comes from an age of platform games that proved to us that you don’t have to have snazzy graphics to be all-out fun, but unfortunately it also shows that we’ve evolved into gamers that appreciate variety as well.  I’m pleased as punch that Nintendo has brought us the classics for our Game Boy Advance systems (here’s hoping they’ll also bring Punch Out, Kid Icarus and the original Rygar . . . please) but sadly Donkey Kong’s three levels and lack of variety just aren’t worth the price of admission.    

Gameplay: 6.0
This is Mario doing what he always did best--run and jump.  In Donkey Kong he also smashed things with a mallet and collected the lost possessions of his beloved Pauline.  To top things off, we did all of this using stiff and rigid controls that made Mario seem somewhat awkward to move.  This doesn’t mean you’ll have an awful time, though. 

Graphics: 5.0
The graphics are, well, true to the classic so expect some crude but colorful visuals. 

Sound: 5.0
Okay so there’s no score that runs throughout the entire game like Donkey Kong Country but the opening theme music is short, sweet and very catchy.  The sounds effects are pure old-school platform sounds but they’re never annoying.

Difficulty: Medium
If there’s one thing the classic games were good it’s upping the difficulty level the more you play.  Beating the three levels takes you back to the beginning . . . only this time the barrels and flames move a bit faster than before. 

Concept: 6.0
Donkey Kong is a true Nintendo classic and one that old-school gamers such as myself remember fondly so it’s definitely good to see again and so wonderfully recreated on the Game Boy Advance.  The three levels are pretty straightforward and it’s the simplicity that might not sit well with modern gamers seeing as the genre has evolved into one that offers more variety to the gameplay.  While fun, there are just so many times a gamer can zip through the same levels over and over again.

Multiplayer: 6.0
These gamers were always more fun with a friend and seeing as the GBA includes a GBA Link Cable option, a friend can hook his handheld to yours and play as the second player.  The fun here is attempting to beat each another’s high score.

Overall: 6.2
While still incredibly fun despite showing its age, Donkey Kong on the GBA offers limited joys that don’t really last long enough to be worthy of the purchase price.  The two player game might give the game some replay value but this game is strictly for those gamers looking to collect a title with 1980s retro appeal, otherwise I suggest you go for Super Mario Bros for your Mario fix.