Are you asking what an arcade emulator is?
When I go to run Donkey Kong in my Nintendo Classics display, it references dkong.zip (Donkey Kong US set 1). The emulator choice (in the description/options) indicates that it calls Arcade to emulate the game.
There are many "arcade emulators". MAME being the most popular..then you have ZiNC, D.I.C.E., Win Kawaks, Raine, Nebula. An arcade emulator is software that emulates the software of a hardware arcade cabinet. Or simply makes your computer be (or think it is) something else. A nes emulator makes your computer think it's a nes..etc...etc...
As for YOUR issue an arcade emulator on retropie is:
1. A MAME libretro core
2. A Final Burn Alpha libretro core
3. Advance MAME (a stand alone emulator)
4. PI MAME (a stand alone emulator)
5. PI FBA (a stand alone emulator of Final Burn Alpha)
For your game you will want to use Advance mame (advmame) or the mame 2003 core. Hell for that game you could use the mame 2010 libretro core. It will work just fine in advmame though (at least it does for me).
Your sound being off has nothing to do with retropie or advmame has everything to do with linux. This same problem occurs on linux PCs as well (spent two nights finding a solution long ago).
here is a snip of my advmame.rc (configuration) file: (it is found in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc)
from my pi: from my pc:
device_alsa_device default device_alsa_device sdl
device_alsa_mixer channel device_alsa_mixer channel
--- ---
device_sound auto device_sound auto
look at the lines I posted here from my pi...do yours have the same thing? If not try the sdl change.
To do this you need a keyboard attached to your pi. then:
1. From emulation station..press F4 this drops you to a terminal (command line in windows)
2. type
cd /
press enter
3. then type
sudo nano /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc
press enter
4. use the arrow keys to move down to the line that reads device_alsa_device
5. then change anything AFTER the device_alsa_device (i.e. default or sdl)
6. press ctrl+x
7. press y
8. press enter
9. now type
emulationstation
to get back to emulationstation
From emulation station start donkey kong but use the advmame emulator NOT the advmame 1.4 or anything else
post if you have any more problems. Also note that we here at attractmode have nothing to do with the retropie project. You would need to go to the retropie
fourms. However also note that you are not using an official image so you will get little help there. We can try to help you here..but again an unofficial image..anything can be changed..thus causing problems...