Donkey Kong Jr.

* When you start the game, Jr. will start at the bottom left corner of the Vines Stage. Your job in the first three stages is to navigate him to the key at the top of the screen so that he can progress to the next stage. Here are some strategies for each stage...

* VINES STAGE : This is the first stage of each level.
1) To start out, Jr. must grab the vines above him, and climb up to one of the two ledges to his right. He can jump to the next vine from either ledge, where he must slide down to the tree top below.
2) Carefully jump right from one tree top to the next before grabbing the fourth vine from the right. Climb up above the right ledge and maneuver Jr. over to the far right vines. Climb up and onto the branch above. Jump over any Snapjaws that pose a threat and leap up to the higher section of the branch before leaping for the key and ending the stage.
3) Along the way, the pear and apple fruit prizes should be plucked with ease, and if you have time, it pays in the early levels to eliminate any of the Red Snapjaws since they won't come back. However, from L5 onward, they will regenerate at Mario's feet. The banana is in a precarious position and should only be plucked if time and safety permits.

* SPRINGBOARD STAGE : This stage earns its name by hosting a springboard at the bottom of the screen. Its purpose is to provide Jr. with a shortcut.
1) Ordinarily, Jr. must jump on the springboard to reach the treetop on the opposite side. Then he must ride the moving platform to the right and climb up the chains beneath the pulley. He must step onto a ledge which is placed directly beneath the point at which Small Nitpickers like to lay eggs, so watch out. Then he must jump to the left to reach the first hold. When the small platform is beneath him, he must drop down and let it carry him to the next hold which rises and falls.
2) If Jr. uses the springboard as a shortcut, he can move directly from the start to this small ledge by pressing the jump button at precisely the moment when he hits the springboard, and he will launch up to the small platform immediately.
3) Jr. can only jump up and grab the second hold when it is in its lowest position. Once he safely has it, he must reach left and grab the chains that extend below Papa. After pulling himself up, he must navigate through the gauntlet of Small Nitpickers to reach the chains on the right side, where he must climb up a little further to reach the branch. Jumping over the gap in the branch, and timing his jumps to ensure that he doesn't collide with any Small Nitpickers, he can reach the key and end the stage.

* MARIO'S HIDEOUT :
1) The layout of this electrically-filled chamber is substantially simpler than the previous stages, but it poses an even greater threat. Not only are Sparks a danger to Jr.'s feet on the ground, they also pose a danger when they pass overhead. A nervous player may anxiously jump over a Spark only to realize too late that another spark was headed Jr.'s way above him. The route is simple. From the start, cross over to the right, climb up, cross back over to the left, climb up, cross once more to the right, climb up again, and finally back to the left in an effort to reach the key.
2) While the Red Sparks remain in their loops, the Blue Sparks move from the top of the screen to the bottom, taking the blue vertical pathways along the way. In the beginning, a Blue Spark will randomly choose one of the four pathways beneath Mario, so cross below Mario with care.
3) The apples are easily plucked on each level, but nailing Sparks with them will take extra timing, and may put you in a bad position if you're not aware of your surroundings.

* CHAINS STAGE : This is Jr.'s last chance to save Papa, so it's now or never.
1) Papa's cage is positioned above a set of six locks, and the keys to those locks are located on chains directly below them. All Jr. has to do is push those keys up and insert them into all six locks and grant Papa his freedom.
2) Blocking his way will be stubborn Red Snapjaws and Large Nitpickers that Mario sends after Jr. The Large Nitpickers will fly from one end of the screen to the other before swooping down a level and reversing direction.
3) Obviously it is faster for Jr. to push up keys two at a time when the chance is available, but that exposes Jr. to twice the danger as Red Snapjaws could be located on either chain at any given moment. So proceed with caution, and try to save the apples for the moments when the Red Snapjaws are located beneath them and can be done away with for bonus points. But from L5 onward, beware...as in the Vines Stage, Red Snapjaws will regenerate at Mario's feet.
4) Once Jr. unlocks every lock, Papa will come tumbling down and mighty Jr. will catch him before the game starts all over again from the Vines stage at a more difficult level.