At first, Circus Charlie looks like it could be a lot of fun. The attract mode shows a jolly-looking clown riding a lion through burning rings of fire while cheerful calliope music plays, and the game cabinet is covered with decals of the same thing. But is it as fun as advertised? Put on your rainbow suspenders, grab your clown hat, and jump in to find out.
Gameplay: Are you ready to jump? You'd better be, because that's about all you'll be doing in Circus Charlie. There are six different levels, and the objectives range from easy (jumping through hoops of fire while riding a lion, jumping over monkeys while walking on a tightrope) to more difficult (jumping from one bouncy ball or trampoline to another) to nearly impossible (jumping from a moving horse to a springboard and back).
To succeed in Circus Charlie, you'll need to carefully use the joystick to set your speed as you time your jumps. However, that's the only skill you'll need to master, and once you've got that down, it'll be easy to reach for the high score—and to collect all the bags of money on each level so you can give yourself a sensual massage in all their bonus-point-delivering glory.