Game and Watch: Donkey Kong Jr - Tabletop

Donkey Kong Jr. is a New Wide Screen, Tabletop, and Panorama Game & Watch game initially released in 1982. The Tabletop and Panorama versions are pretty much the same game, though the New Wide Screen version is different. The model numbers for the game are DJ-101, CJ-71, and CJ-93 for the New Wide Screen, Tabletop, and Panorama version, respectively. DJ stands for Donkey Kong Jr. while CJ stands for Color Jr. Nintendo manufactured 1,000,000 copies of the New Wide Screen version worldwide, though they only made 250,000 copies each of the other two.

Donkey Kong Jr. was included in the games Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4 for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, respectively. Both games featured the original Game & Watch game and an enhanced one that featured updates to every aspect of the game.

Wide Screen Gameplay

The story of the game is the same as the Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game. Mario has locked Donkey Kong up in a cage, and playing as his son you go out to save him. You have to open the cage Donkey Kong is contained in by using four different keys, all while avoiding the enemies.

There are two modes titled Game A and Game B. Game B is much harder than Game A. The main goal of both modes is to accumulate as many points as possible, which is done by doing the following actions:

1 Point: Donkey Kong Jr. avoids a Snapjaw.

3 Points: If the fruit Donkey Kong Jr. drops falls on a Snapjaw on upper trunk.

6 Points: If the fruit Donkey Kong Jr. drops falls on a bird on upper trunk.

9 Points: If the fruit Donkey Kong Jr. drops falls on a Snapjaw on lower trunk.

20 Points: When Donkey Kong Jr. saves Donkey Kong.

5-20 Points: Every time Donkey Kong Jr. collects a key depending on how fast he manages to do it.

The maximum amount of points the player can receive is 999 points. After getting that many points, the score display will restart back at zero.

The player has three lives. A life is lost if Donkey Kong Jr. is hit by a Snapjaw or bird, or when Donkey Kong Jr. jumps for something and misses. After the game ends, the player has the option to try again. If he or she chooses not to, the time will be displayed within 5 minutes.

Panorama and Tabletop gameplay

The Panorama and Tabletop versions are similar to the New Wide Screen game. The plot is the same, and similar enemies will appear. There are new features in the game, such as umbrellas he can use to jump from great heights and balloons he can use to get to higher ground.

In the beginning of the game, Donkey Kong Jr. will start at the lower left hand corner of the screen. Right away, Donkey Kong Jr. is supposed to jump in oder to get the key right above him. He can use the vines around him to gain higher ground as he could in the previous game. The fruit in the game can be dropped on top of the birds in order to kill them. There are no Snapjaws in the game. Once Donkey Kong Jr. unlocks all of Donkey Kong's chains, the game will be won and you'll start over.

Game & Watch Gallery versions

Donkey Kong Jr. appeared as a game in both Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4. In both games, the original title and an enhanced one were included. The basic gameplay mechanics remained intact in the remakes.

In the enhanced games, the enemies include Goombas, Nipper Plants, and Bullet Bills. The goal of the game is to bring the key over to Donkey Kong's cage and unlock one of the four locks. After this has been accomplished, you must do it again three more times. There are a total of three levels, the first two with a jungle them and the last one an ice theme.

Rarity
The widescreen version is quite common, with several for sale on Ebay at any one time.

The Panorama and Tabletop versions are a lot rarer, rarely seen on Ebay.

Estimated Value (August 2013)
Donkey Kong Jr (Widescreen) with Box and Instructions: £80-£100
Donkey Kong Jr (Widescreen) Without Box: £30-£50
Donkey Kong Jr (Panorama/Tabletop) with Box and Instructions: £100-£180
Donkey Kong Jr (Panorama/Tabletop) Without Box: £40-£60