DESCRIPTION

In Kangaroo, players help Mama Kangaroo try to rescue her baby, who has been kidnapped by meddlesome monkeys. Mama's best defense is her ability to jump, with her primary weapon being a powerful pair of boxing-gloved hands. Mama hops along sturdy tree limbs, climbs up ladders, and jumps from platform to platform to reach little Joey. Of course the monkeys aren't going to make it that easy — and this is where Mama's ability to punch them into a primate pulp comes in handy. Monkeys on the top level also try to drop apples on Mama Kangaroo's head, just as the monkeys on lower levels of the tree will try to chuck apples at her, so her ladder climbs have to be carefully timed or she'll be defenseless. If she loiters too long on any one level, a huge purple ape with his own boxing gloves appears to try to finish her off. The last stage, featuring Baby Joey trapped in a cage supported by a column of monkeys, is particularly challenging. Atari's Kangaroo was a minor hit in its day, and it was hard to find an arcade without one in 1982. They later made better-than-usual home versions of it for the Atari VCS and Atari 5200. ~ Earl Green, All Game Guide