This attempt to adapt Donkey Kong Country for the Game Boy is neither particularly good nor bad.
Gameplay is similar to the parent game and has the traditional fun jumping action. It is not as dynamic as the action in the parent game due to the Game Boy's limitations.
I commend the creators for managing to replicate the 2D1/2 graphics. However on the Game Boy the whole thing looks messy. It can also be hard to figure out where to go sometimes. I jumped to my death on more than one occasion.
The save function is weird and when you can save will probably occur only intermittently.
I do give the game credit for introducing new enemies and level types that didn't appear in DKC. They don't attempt this in the DKL 2 and 3.
I don't regret buying this game on the 3DS, but it's definitely not a must-play.