Guide the fearless carpenter, Mario, up girders and ladders in order to rescue his sweetheart, Pauline, who has been kidnapped by Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong is holding Pauline captive high atop a stack of broken girders and Mario must climb four different structures to rescue her.

On the first level, Mario begins at the bottom and must climb up ladders, jump over barrels thrown by the angry ape, and avoid deadly fireballs. However, once Mario reaches the top, Donkey Kong whisks Pauline away, breaking Mario's heart.

The second level is a stack of girders in the shape of a pyramid. Mario must once again climb ladders and either jump or walk over the eight rivets holding the structure together. Once the rivets are removed, be sure to have Mario jump over the gaps or he will fall to his death.

The third level, also known as the "Elevator Level," has Mario jumping onto quick moving elevators to reach the top. Mario must also avoid fireballs and wildly bouncing springs. On the next level Mario must navigate series of conveyor belts that can change direction at a moment's notice. Once he avoids the buckets of sand and fireballs, nothing can separate him from Pauline.

Mario has three chances to reach Pauline, but can earn extra chances every 7,000 points. It's also a race against time for Mario as he must reach the top before the clock reaches zero. Whatever time is left on the clock counts as a bonus score and is added to Mario's overall score. ~ Chris Cavanaugh, All Game Guide