Jackal belongs in every collector's NES library.
Your weaponry is rather limited, but this doesn't detract from the fun. At the beginning of the game, you can fire a machine gun and hurl grenades. But you can upgrade your grenades to rockets. The rockets that explode in four directions upon impact cause much destruction and are fun to use. Also, your jeep can be used as a weapon; if you find yourself surrounded by infantrymen, nothing is more amusing than running over them.
In many games, finding and transporting noncombatants can be an annoying chore. Rescuing the prisoners of war in Jackal, however, is a welcome addition. But if you’re a callous warmonger who is indifferent to the plight of the POWs, you don’t have to rescue any if you don’t want to. But you should rescue the POWs because you’ll be rewarded with weapon upgrades and extra lives, which are compelling incentives. But don’t be motivated purely by these incentives. Blowing a hole in a POW building, watching the POWs run to your jeep, then transporting them to the rescue helicopter is part of the fun.
My only complaint about Jackal concerns the game's length. There are only six stages; ten would have been better. But even though the game is too short, Jackal still belongs in every collector’s NES library.