Donkey Kong (Vintage Donkey Kong Atari Home Computer Manual by Kevin S. Thomas)

Australia: Futuretronics Australia Pty Ltd, 1982. pp. 4. Original folded instruction booklet issued with the home computer version of Donkey Kong, designed for use with the Atari 400 and Atari 800 systems. Printed in red and black with an early pixel-style graphic of the famous ape character, the booklet was produced to accompany cassette or disk releases of the game for Atari home computers. Original folded leaflet; light handling wear but clean and legible.

The manual provides loading instructions for both cassette (16K minimum) and disk (32K minimum) versions, alongside guidance on controls, gameplay mechanics, scoring, and difficulty levels. The familiar premise of the game—guiding Mario up construction girders while avoiding barrels thrown by Donkey Kong—is explained together with the controls required to jump obstacles and rescue the captive girl at the top platform.

Released shortly after the worldwide success of the original arcade game created by Shigeru Miyamoto, this edition reflects the rapid expansion of the title into the early home-computer market. Ephemeral manuals such as this were typically discarded once games were installed or learned, making surviving examples increasingly collectable among enthusiasts of early video game history and retro computing.

[WR Tech]