One false move, and you could lose a hit or an entire life. Some later stages require painstakingly careful movements. The difficulty was cranked up on this cart. The sound is tinny and benign with subdued effects and a subtle music score. The green-and-white Game Boy monitor just doesn't do this game justice. With selectable colors, this game is made more for the Super Game Boy than the monochrome Game Boy. Take a hit after that, and it's all over. If you get hit, you revert to your alter ego. You can also use barrels to dispense with bees and other enemies that you can't defeat with jumping attacks. Instead, you toggle between the two by pressing Select. You don't play with both characters on the screen at the same time, however. The rules are simple: Start as Donkey Kong, but if you find a barrel labeled 'DK,' you can break it open and find Diddy Kong.

Regardless of reductions in scope and cutbacks on technical aspects, DKL has excellent character sprites that really come alive, huge levels, and a tough challenge that means you won't complete this cart in one sitting. If you're still going ape over Donkey Kong Country, you'll be surprised by Donkey Kong Land, the Game Boy version of the 16-bit hit.

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