A plumber who has had his girlfriend stolen by a rampaging ape time and time again is bound to snap and get some payback. When Mario succeeded in trapping Donkey Kong in a cage, it was up to Junior to get his daddy back.

Nintendo continued to ride the gravy train with a follow-up to the wildly popular Donkey Kong game with Donkey Kong Jr. This time, players were in control of Junior and Mario was the guy to beat through four levels of fun play. Donkey Kong Jr. moved, jumped and climbed vines on his way to the top where his captured father sat forlorn in a cage. Cruel, cruel plumber!

DK Jr. had a hard task ahead of him navigating platforms and vines and taking care not to fall into the water below, which would cost the little guy one of his lives. From above, Mario sent out bear traps with eyes against Junior who could go on the offense by picking fruit off the vines and dropping them on the Snapjaws to destroy them. Reaching the top merely meant the whole scene advanced to the next level.

The second level featured not only Snapjaws but also Nitpicker birds that attacked Junior and both dangers could cost him a life if they touched him. If DK Jr. succeeded in collecting six keys to unlock DK Sr.'s chains, we all moved up another level. The next two levels involved a springboard and moving rods as a way to ascend to the top and Mario's use of sparks down a series of pipes which Junior would use as handholds. When all four levels were conquered, play reset back at level 1 with increased difficulty, just like the original Donkey Kong game.

Daddy's luck passed on to Junior who was a big success on his own. Both father and son inspired huge franchise empires that included cereal, clothing, cartoons and more video games. You can't keep a good ape down, Mario.