Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong - the 1983 platformer for Commodore 64 from Atarisoft.

Scale girders as Jumpman to rescue Pauline while barrels, wild fire,
and moving platforms try to cut you off. Time climbs and jumps, grab
hammers for breathing room, and beat the bonus timer to the top.

Core loop
- climb ladders, jump gaps, and dodge barrels and fire
- grab the hammer to smash threats for a short window
- reach Pauline at the top before the bonus ticks out

Systems and items
- hammer - short invulnerability against rolling barrels and fire
- bonus timer - counts down; leftover time converts to points
- enemy rhythms - barrels roll with slope bias; fires patrol platforms

Level design and feel
Rotating single screen stages with ladders, conveyors, and elevators.
Tight collision and quick jump arcs reward clean timing. Audio leans on
arcade style jingles and beeps rather than full tunes.

Why it is notable
- official Atarisoft conversion of Nintendo’s arcade hit on C64
- captures the core climb and hammer play in a tidy home package

Tips
- wait below a ladder for a barrel to pass, then climb immediately
- swing the hammer early near a ladder to chain multiple smashes
- on moving platforms, commit to a jump only as the cycle peaks

At a glance
Year - 1983
Developer - Atarisoft (conversion team uncredited)
Design and programming - based on Nintendo’s arcade by Shigeru Miyamoto
Publisher - Atarisoft
Genre - Platformer (single screen)
Players - 1 or 2 alternating
Controls - Joystick in port 2