Jungle Hunt

But what's great about Jungle Hunt is the variety of gameplay. The first stage requires good reflexes to jump from vine to vine, and then it's off to a crocodile-infested river. I don't know why the crocodiles are red, but they die pretty easy when you stab them (even if their mouths are open). Back on shore, you'll leap over small rocks and duck under large square ones before reaching your final destination. Here you'll find your girlfriend tied up and hanging over a boiling pot, and you'll need to leap over two natives to rescue her. Too bad there's no sort of ending. During the second time through, monkeys appear on the vines, a feature not found in most versions. This Jungle Hunt is fairly forgiving, and after you die you pick up right where you left off. I've played Jungle Hunt on many consoles, but this is my personal favorite.

The ending is admittedly weak (if you can even call it an ending) but overall this is a quality title. There are two levels of difficulty, and the second one offers a genuine challenge. If you own an Atari 2600, Jungle Hunt is worth tracking down.

Originally entitled Jungle King, Jungle Hunt was one of my favorite arcade games in the early 80's. Although this XE version looks very much like the original, I must admit that it's not quite as fun as I remembered. Part of the reason is because the controls are less forgiving.

If you are a fan of platformers and are a fan of the Atari 2600, you should strongly consider giving this game a try if you can find it. There certainly are longer and more diverse platformers out today, but this game remains fun nonetheless. For an Atari 2600 game, this game will last a fair amount of time, but it isn't one like Space Invaders that has the potential to last nearly forever. Overall, this game is easy to recommend for the Atari 2600 gamer.

Jungle Hunt controls exactly like the arcade version. The stick controls Sir Dudley, and pressing the button causes him to jump, or use his knife in stage two. The graphics, while not quite as good as the arcade, are some of the better ones done for the VCS. The sounds are fairly close to the arcade as well, although the "Tarzan" yell that starts the game is gone, as is the bouncy jungle music. This is definitely one of the best arcade ports the VCS has ever seen. If you're a fan of the arcade version, you owe it to yourself to check Jungle Hunt out.

I was fairly good at Jungle Hunt in the arcade and could breeze through the 2600 version, but I really had to concentrate with this one. It's tough! You control an explorer forging his way through four jungle stages. The first stage is all about timing as you swing from vine to vine. The foliage looks good enough, but the plain blue background isn't too impressive. The second stage begins as your man dives into a crocodile-infested river. The control is lacking in this stage - it's difficult to swim and VERY hard to stab the crocs. Avoidance is the best strategy. In the third stage you leap over or duck under boulders rolling down a hill. It's no problem with one coming at a time, but two boulders will really throw off your timing. The final stage (featuring two natives with spears) looks terrific, as your captive girlfriend hangs over a boiling cauldron on the left of the screen. Despite a high level of difficulty, Jungle Hunt is still a fun little romp.