Kung-Fu. That game was amazing, but when more than 2 guys were on screen throwing knives at me, I could never get the timing right and I choked.
As far as Duck Hunt, my old man got up to about Level 40 once, and that's as high as I ever saw.
Jay, have you played Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox? That is one serious game - and it has that 'old school' vibe to it. The levels are well designed, the bosses are beyond tough, but if you stick it out it rewards you with amazing depth and fluid controls. Reminds me a lot of the NES days.
There was also a lot of bad games based on movies & comics then too...