The player assumes the role of a paperboy on a bicycle delivering newspapers along a suburban street in the United States,[20][21] which is displayed in an oblique projection view. Controls consist of a set of handlebars that can be turned/tilted to steer and control speed, with mounted buttons that can be pressed to throw papers.
At the start of the game, the player is offered a choice of three difficulty settings: Easy Street, Middle Road, and Hard Way. The latter two options double or triple all point values, respectively. The street consists of 20 houses, 10 of which are originally decorated in bright colors to mark them as subscribers.[20]
The primary goal is to deliver papers to subscribers by throwing them either onto the front porch or into the mailbox, while avoiding obstacles such as cars, skateboarders, and rolling tires. Bonus points are awarded for damaging non-subscribers' houses (breaking windows, knocking over tombstones, etc.) and hitting certain obstacles with papers. The player has a limited supply of papers and must pick up bundles lying on the ground in order to restock. After completing the route, the player moves onto a training course and can earn points for hitting targets and using ramps to jump over walls/ditches/holes, with an unlimited supply of papers. Crashing into any obstacle on the route costs the player one life, while doing so on the training course ends it immediately without penalty.