"How High can you get?"

In 1981, the arcade scene was swamped with a total amount of games smothered with either pac-man rip offs and Space Invader wannabes. However, Enter Donkey Kong, a shining light in video games at the time to enter and become a manically popular game machine, taking influence from some of the best arcade games at the time, such as Crazy Climber

Graphics:
The graphics in Donkey Kong are not as detailed as some of the shooter games at the time, but on an item that most things weren't at the time. They were innovative, from the happy-go-lucky look on Donkey Kong's Face, to the cartoon-ish Fire Foxes, and of course, the unforgettable thumb of Jumpman wacking people around with his Mallet, they are a true enjoyable delight to see.
8/10.

Music/Sound: It's been a while since i have actually played the original Donkey Kong, but the music and sound effects are clear in my head. That's just how good they were. From the main theme, to the manic Mallet whacking to the springy sounds of the Mad Springs, this game was on top.
10/10

Enjoyment/Story: Another fine markmanship, as this game moves away from the typical Destroy the Aliens farce to the brand new fairy-taleesque story of saving the princess. And over all, even today in mind, this game is a hell of a lot fun and shows why Mario and Donkey Kong are still video game characters who are in the big leagues to this day. Excellent.
10/10

Challenge/Re-playability:
With about 4 levels that all have their own unique show (from the conveorbelts, to the elevators to the rivets), and through the barrel and mad spring changing their rhythm and patterns each time, this game is a going to suck a lot of the quarters out of you.
10/10

1981 was a good year for the arcades with a ton of classics (Frogger, Galaga, Ms.Pac-Man, among them), but i don't think anyone would quibble too much if one was to say that Donkey Kong was easily the game of the year.
10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/04