In each of the three levels in Kangaroo for Atari 2600, your task is to help the mother Kangaroo rescue her baby from the top of the screen. As she climbs ladders, hops along tree branches, and jumps over logs, she must fight Apple tossing monkeys. The mother kangaroo can either dodge or knock out these monkeys (like she puts on boxing gloves), but she must jump or duck under any apples that head her way.
During the rescue mission, Mommy Kangaroo can collect fruits (such as strawberries and grapes) for extra points. When she rings the bell, the fruit restores itself and she can pick it up again (up to three times).
Kangaroo is also available for Atari 5200 which is a more powerful system. This version of the game has four levels (as in the arcade) instead of three. The Atari 2600 version of Kangaroo is missing the level that has a totem pole-like stack of monkeys.