Kangaroo
• Although the 5200 version was programmed by GCC, Atari programmer James Leiterman converted it for the 8-bit computers, and it was eventually released via APX. The only minor graphics difference between them is the 5200 version has red strawberries whereas in the computer version they’re more purplish. From James Leiterman: “General Computer was contracted to only do a 5200 version. While at Atari, I had written a reverse disassembler that converted binary files back into source code with some documentation. I went through and corrected the mistakes of the tool to build the 800 version and sent it over to APX. They published it with no credit back to me as I requested. So, essentially, it was an internal hack! Mine had red strawberries while theirs had a purplish red or some non-red color."
• The maximum lives that can be shown is 5 but you can earn more.
• There are 4 ‘rounds’ of levels, after which the 4th set of levels keeps repeating.
• On the hardest rounds, it’s possible for 2 monkeys to gang up on you, with both throwing apples of different heights at the same time.
• BUG: 2nd screen – if an apple is dropped from above and another is thrown at you from the right, and you jump up and hit the fruit and the bell, the music won’t play (see video). {Scott Stilphen}
• BUG: 2nd screen – if you jump up and hit the monkey on the top platform, he’ll turn into the “200” points and hop away! If you have another life left, he’ll still be “200” but the graphics will be flipped horizontally (picture #1). {Scott Lowry – Video Games May 1984, pg. 18}
• BUG: 3rd screen - if you jump on baby kangaroo’s platform just as another monkey is added to the tower, you’ll fall through it. {Scott Stilphen}
• BUG: 4th screen – there's a broken ladder (picture #2) that you can climb down (one rung) and, if you’re not careful, fall off! This doesn’t happen in the arcade version. {Scott Stilphen}
• BUG: 4th screen – if you die as soon as you hit a monkey, and you have another life left, the “200” points for it will briefly appear in place of a monkey, sometimes reversed (pictures #3 and #4). {Scott Stilphen}
