Donkey Kong Land III

Everyone in the Kong family has gone off to participate in a contest to find the fabled Lost World, leaving poor Dixie Kong to baby-sit hefty baby Kiddy Kong. Feeling left out, Dixie decides to prove to everyone what she can do, and, taking Kiddy along, she sets out to find the Lost World herself. Once again, you'll have to defeat K. Rool from previous Donkey Kong games. Both of our heros can do the usual: run, climb, jump, pick up barrels, spin/roll, etc. Again following the pattern of the previous games, the supporting cast includes animal friends such as Ellie the Elephant and Squiter the Spider, each with its own special ability.

In general, each Levels Map has six levels and a boss. As you move your icon over each level, the display at the bottom lists whether or not you have found the DK Coin and the two Bonus Coins in the level, both of which are important in fully completing the game. To save, stop by Wrinkley Kong's Cave, and then pop into Sheedy's Shop to spend well-earned Bear Coins and earn DK Coins, Bonus Coins, and Clocks. You need to have all the DK Coins and Clocks to enter the Lost World and face K. Rool; to earn Clocks, you need Bonus Coins, so explore all the worlds fully. All of this is done in a linear fashion, although it is possible to go back to past levels. Each level has one DK Coin, and each level has two Bonus Coins. Clearing a level completely brings satisfaction. Finding everything is the real challenge, so there's actually a good bit of scalability depending on your gaming skill. The graphics, gameplay, exploration, and satisfaction all combine to drive you on, making you want to complete the game.

Donkey Kong Land III is a great game, but not without faults. The first two probably come from trying to do too much with graphics. Enemies, items, and even your characters are often lost against detailed backgrounds, sometimes causing unnecessary deaths. Also, scrolling can cause the screen to blur, especially on self scrolling stages, and following the action becomes tough. The final problem comes from saving. The only way to save is through Wrinkley's cave, but this safe haven is always in the middle of an area, forcing you to fight through several levels to reach it.

But these problems aren't detrimental to the game, as Donkey Kong Land III emerges as one of the best Game Boy Color.