I rated this game a '9'.
I just played through and beat this game last night, and I really enjoyed it. I had played it about 17 years ago and enjoyed it, but last night was a real treat, even though I felt that the game was on the easy side. Of course, that's because I used the Turbo switches so that Bonk's spin jump would be more effective. :P
Anyway, if you don't have this game, then GET IT! Then PLAY IT!
The TurboGrafx mascot in his first-ever adventure. Bonk's Adventure is a fantastic game in every respect, and it was quite original back in the late '80s when it debuted. Adventure features fantastically cartoony graphics, and while they really set the mood for the game, they look pretty dated anymore. Especially stacked up against later 16-bit contenders. The second game in the trilogy introduced a new graphical style (still cartoony) that holds up a little better than the look featured here. Music, on the other hand, is top-notch and stands the test of time well. Even today the Bonk's Adventure soundtrack holds a place as one of the best works from the 16-bit era. Gameplay, as mentioned before, was really pretty innovative at the time and offered many new twists on the "Mario" platformer schematic. Levels in Adventure are a bit more linear than those in the later journeys, but that's not necessarily a bad thing-- gives Adventure a flavor of it's own. Beyond that, Bonk's Adventure features one of the best video game adversaries of all time-- T. Ractorhead the 3rd. A very solid & consistent game, bested only by part 3. 9/10.