In Circus Caper you play as Tim, a fan of the "Greatest Show on Earth." One day, while you and your sister are trying to get tickets to the circus, Mr. Magic kidnaps your sister and takes her deep within the confines of the circus tent. Moving primarily from right to left, you must run, jump, hit, kick, and even fly your way through six stages of circus mayhem in order to rescue your sister.

As you progress through the game, you must get past (or beat up) flying human rockets, monkeys, upside-down clowns, vultures, a tight-rope walker, elephants, an animal trainer, a white tiger, a snake, a ghost, and other sideshow creatures bent on your destruction. Eventually, you must face Mr. Magic himself.

To give you an advantage over the evil circus performers and their trained animals, you can pick up weapons, such as hammers, soccer balls, yo-yos, and bombs. Blocks will help you jump up to places higher than you can normally reach. Throughout the course of the side-scrolling action, you'll stop to play special bonus round carnival games.