Your goal is to destroy the balloons which bounce around the playfield. To accomplish this, you can shoot hooks which travel upwards, and blow up any balloon they touch. Depending on their size, they either split on two smaller ones, or evaporate if they're at their minimum size. Apart from balloons, some levels also have barriers that have to be destroyed with your hooks, since they often block your access to balloons. There are also some barriers which cannot ever be destroyed. Your character has the ability to climb ladders, but cannot jump.