Donkey Kong 3

* When you start the game, Stanley will start at the bottom, middle of the screen. You job is to move him up to push Donkey Kong out of the area and to defend against the various insects that will plague Stanley. Using the joystick, you can easily navigate on the platforms as long as there is a platform above and below Stanley. Use this ability to maneuver to keep out of harms way.

* Your big goal is to prevent the insects from getting all of your plants. If you lose all of your plants, you lose the game. If you do happen to lose a plant, it takes two levels to grow another one.

* Some players use this to their advantage in order to increase their scores. They let the insect capture the plant, then they shoot the insect to get both the plant and insect bonus. In addition, they collect the bonus for having all five plants at the end of the stage.

* When using the regular bug spray, you will have to go to the top of the platform area and jump up to force Donkey Kong higher while defending yourself against the insects.

* Keep in mind, that the bug spray you start with is pretty weak; both in terms of range and power. Your immediate goal is to get Donkey Kong far enough up the ropes so that the super-bug spray can gets dropped. This will enable you to hit him from the bottom of the platforms and give you more running room to avoid the insects. Keep in mind, this super-bug spray only last for that stage.

* The above will be especially crucial during the yellow stages. The bug spray merely causes the Creepies to choke and cough and it doesn't kill them. Instead, you may end up creating a wall of choking Creepies that block your line of fire from Donkey Kong. Make sure you fire in-between the four rows of Creepies.

* You will note that on the gray stages, there is no middle level, per se. Instead, you must work your way around to the right or left to get to the top platform. This delay could prove crucial since you will have to be very wary of the insects that will have had a head start on you.

* In the later levels, after 18, for the blue and gray stages, the pattern is a little different regarding the coconut throwing. Donkey Kong will throw a coconut to the right, then the left, then to the center.

* As you progress further into the levels, the insects become faster and more aggressive. As a matter of fact, after level 15, their shots are much more accurate when they shoot at Stanley. Also, the insects that don't shoot will home in on Stanley. This will require good joystick control if you are to survive.

* Be aware that the Queen Bees explode into shrapnel when killed. Four pieces will radiate downward. Most of the time, if you are centered under them, the shrapnel will go around Stanley. If you are moving, though, be aware that even though you killed the Queen Bee, you will still have to deal with the aftermath.


* Blue Stage
This is your basic greenhouse stage. There are three platforms stacked in a pyramid, so you can roam anywhere throughout the stage for the best shooting position.
Stanley always starts in the center directly beneath Donkey Kong, so it's usually a good idea to start jump up immediately and spray Kong a few times before Stanley has to worry about any bug threats.
It will take several consecutive shots to convince Kong to climb up the vines considerably. When he is especially high, Stanley is required to jump up and fire or the spray will not hold together by the time it reaches Kong.
Remember that while it is wise to destroy Queen Bees as soon as possible, they still pose a threat when you destroy them, so stay directly beneath them when that second shot connects.
Be mindful of the flight patterns of the bugs, and don't try to rescue a captured vegetable if trying to rescue it would result in death, or if you're sure that you can force Donkey Kong off the screen before the bug brings the vegetable back to the hive. Any bug holding a vegetable when Kong flees will drop it back to the ground.
At higher rounds, pay attention to the sides and force Creepy back up the sides if he is getting too low. If he does manage to reach the platform, you will have to plan your strategy around the times when Creepy is directly beneath Donkey Kong so that you don't end up jumping on him.
The bees have a pattern when they swarm from their hives and come down to attack. Even on the later levels, when extra bees are involved in the attack, they still show patterns. Use this to your advantage.

* Yellow Stage
For the full three stage cycle, this is the final showdown between Stanley and Donkey Kong. With no where left to go, Kong must choose between reaching the floor, or having his head forced in to the beehive positioned precariously above his head.
Any vegetables that were stolen before now are replenished. In this stage, the insect attacks aren't as constant as the other two, but be prepared for a steady flow of vegetable dives.
Instead, Stanley must contend with a pack of Creepies who insist on crawling in Stanley's way and blocking his spray from reaching Donkey Kong. If Stanley's spray does happen to hit a Creepy who is in the way, stop firing immediately and give it time to recover and move on. You can be preemptive about it and attack the Creepies while they are still on the sidelines so they are distracted from interfering with you.
In Donkey Kong's desperation, he will take to lobbing coconuts. Donkey Kong will alternate between throwing coconuts at one of the beehives, and throwing one at you. When you see one drop from the ceiling and in to his hand, stop firing and move Stanley away from his current position and the coconut will sail harmlessly past you.
Force Kong to the top and his head will get stuck in the beehive above.
Donkey Kong likes to throw coconuts down on Stanley. There is a pattern to his throwing. He will first throw one to the left, then one to the center, then one to the right. The left and right coconuts that are thrown are aimed at the beehives, which will release a Beespy or Buzzbee.

* Gray Stage
You won't see it for the first time until round 4 because the first sequence of stages skips this layout.
The gray stage is a lot like the blue stage except the middle platform isn't connected all the way across. Worse yet, the place where it's not connected is directly below Donkey Kong. This means you won't be able to charge up the middle right from the start of the level, giving Kong a few precious seconds to slip down the vine.
You'll have to move far enough to the left or the right to reach the highest platform before you can return to the center and continue to blast Kong with spray. Other than that, all the strategies of Stage 1 apply to Stage 2.
Remember that if you need to drop down from the third platform to the first, it's better to stay alive and make up the time, than to risk Stanley's life if a collision is eminent.
The bees have a pattern when they swarm from their hives and come down to attack. Even on the later levels, when extra bees are involved in the attack, they still show patterns. Use this to your advantage.