You
may recall seeing the cancellation notice of Circus Charlie, which
was reprinted in Digital Press (#21, page 23). It’s a shame that we
never got to see this excellent game on the VCS or ColecoVision as
planned. There were planned to be four screens/acts on the VCS and five on
ColecoVision. Unfortunately, Parker Brothers pulled the plug right around
the time of the crash of 1984. Jess Ragan reported that the game was
released on the C-64. Like Joe, I found my copy on a NES multicart and it
is called (probably to avoid litigation) CIRCUS. But it’s
definitely the same game as the proposed Circus Charlie. If you
ever get the opportunity to pick this one up, it’s worth owning. It’s
cute, it’s fun, it has catchy circus music, and there are five screens.
Each is a different circus act. Your on- screen character is (would you
have guessed) a clown who looks suspiciously like Mr. Do!:
Show 1 - Ride the lion through the flaming hoops.
Show 2 - Jump over charging monkeys on a tightrope.
Show 3 - Jump and balance on large balls while avoiding crashes.
Show 4 - Ride horses bareback and spring on and off.
Show 5 - Jump and bounce on a trampoline across the trapeze.
In each screen there is an opportunity for a bonus score. For example: in show 3, if you skip over a ball, you get 500 points extra. The objective is to reach the end platform to finish a level and gain an extra clown. The crowd roars it’s approval. Timing is everything. The fifth screen is particularly challenging. Finish that one and the game recycles at a faster clip.
