Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is a fixed-screen platform game in which the player controls a carpenter originally identified as Jumpman and later known as Mario. Donkey Kong has carried away a woman called Lady, later named Pauline, and taken her to the top of a construction site. Mario must run across platforms, climb ladders, and jump over hazards to reach her before the decreasing bonus counter reaches zero.

The arcade game contains four distinct screen designs, identified as heights of 25, 50, 75, and 100 meters. On the first, Mario climbs a series of sloping girders while Donkey Kong rolls barrels down from above. Some barrels travel down ladders or strike an oil drum at the bottom of the screen, producing fireballs that pursue Mario. Hammers found along the route can temporarily destroy barrels and fireballs, but Mario swings them automatically and cannot jump or climb ladders until their effect expires.