Circus Charlie (level select, set 3)

Circus Charlie is an arcade action game from 1984, developed and published by Konami. It was first released in North America by Centuri in March 1984, then in Japan the following month. This particular ROM set is labeled 'level select, set 3,' which is one of several MAME dumps that preserves the original arcade board's behavior and includes a level-select feature. The game puts you in control of a circus clown named Charlie across six different minigames, each with its own theme and objectives.

Each round drops Charlie into a distinct scenario from a circus show. You might guide him through a lion taming act, a high-wire balancing routine, or a trampoline bounce sequence. The controls are simple: a jump button and a run button, but timing and precision are critical to avoid hazards and complete each stage. The game rotates through these minigames in a fixed order, and you only have a limited number of lives to finish the set. The level-select version lets you start at any of the six stages instead of playing through from the beginning.

Circus Charlie stands out for its variety and charm. In an era when most arcade games stuck to one core mechanic, this title offered a medley of challenges tied together by a consistent character and theme. It's not a deep or lengthy game - a full run takes about ten minutes - but the tight controls and colorful visuals make it an enjoyable bite-sized experience. For fans of early Konami arcade titles or anyone curious about the company's pre-Castlevania output, this is a fun piece of gaming history.