| The NES version's manual presents the game as Tradewest's, licensed by Nintendo for the NES; Tradewest gives the warranty. The manual names no developer. | p. 2p. 2Limited Warranty | Manual |
| In the NES manual's story, Billy and Jimmy Lee are twin brothers who learned to fight on the city's streets. Billy's girlfriend, Marian, is kidnapped by the Black Warriors, the street gang of the mysterious Shadow Boss, and Billy pursues the gang through the slums, factories, and wooded outskirts of the city to the hideout, where the Shadow Boss turns out to be his brother Jimmy. | p. 4, The Double Dragon Storyp. 4, The Double Dragon Storyp. 4, The Double Dragon Storyp. 11, Cast of Characters | Manual |
| The NES game has four stages, the City Slum, the Industrial Area, the Forest, and the Hideout of the Boss. | p. 10, Game Stages | Manual |
| The NES manual's cast of enemies is Lopar, who throws oil drums; Abobo, the Middle Boss, who throws bombs; Williams, handy with a knife or a bat; Linda, who wields a whip; and Willy, the Big Boss, armed with a machine gun. | p. 11, Cast of Charactersp. 11, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Charactersp. 11, Cast of Charactersp. 11, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Charactersp. 12, Cast of Characters | Manual |
| On the NES, A punches, B kicks, and A and B together jump; pressing left or right twice gives a head butt. The NES manual says these are the Level 1 techniques, and more advanced ones come at higher levels. | p. 5, Controlling the Actionp. 5, Controlling the Actionp. 5, Controlling the Actionp. 5, Controlling the Actionp. 5, Controlling the Action | Manual |
| The NES manual lists the moves as punch, kick, head butt, jump kick, low kick, uppercut, hair-pull kick, over-shoulder throw, pin attack, and elbow punch; several work only on an enemy who is squatting, held by the hair, or down. | p. 7, Attacking the Enemyp. 7, Attacking the Enemyp. 8, Attacking the Enemyp. 8, Attacking the Enemyp. 8, Attacking the Enemyp. 6, Attacking the Enemyp. 6, Attacking the Enemyp. 6, Attacking the Enemyp. 7, Attacking the Enemyp. 7, Attacking the Enemyp. 7, Attacking the Enemy | Manual |
| The NES game has seven levels of technical skill. Every game starts at Level 1, and the player learns more fighting techniques at each level; in the manual's words, when the score passes 999 a heart mark appears and the player goes up a level. | p. 9, Technical Levelsp. 9, Technical Levels | Manual |
| In the NES game a box, rock, oil drum, dynamite stick, or knife is picked up or thrown with A, and A also swings the bat or cracks the whip. | p. 13, Your Weaponsp. 13, Your Weapons | Manual |
| Computer Entertainer's reviewer complained that the NES manual never mentions the head-to-head mode or explains Mode A and Mode B; the manual's control page says Select chooses between two game modes, one-player against the computer and two-player against another player. | p. 5, Controlling the Actionp. 5, Controlling the Action | Magazine |