The game consists of four stages. To complete a stage, the required number of games must be completed. A selection of four games is presented; the selection shifts quickly (like a
roulette wheel) and a button is pressed to play the selected game (in multiplayer, a random game is displayed). There are twenty games, categorised into five types: puzzle, counting, concentration, barrage, and picture searching (for example, one game requires a given pattern of
fruit machine symbols to be located on a grid). Other objectives include selecting the correct option (or options) among incorrect ones, memorising and following a sequence, and pressing the button at the correct moment or at a quick enough pace. Certain games' names are puns on pop culture names or terms. Such references include
Rock n Roll,
Billy Joel,
Stanley Kubrick, and
Out Run's music track
Magical Sound Shower. Each game has a time limit, and if time runs out or a mistake is made, a life is lost. The player begins with three lives. Occasionally, a game will become a "Lucky!" icon. Selecting this grants a piece of a heart and begins a random game. Collecting all three pieces (one in the PlayStation 2 version The mini-games increase in difficulty as the game progresses. At the end of the first three stages, the Boss escapes on a hot air balloon, and the detectives give chase in aeroplanes. In this bonus round, balloons must be popped, and missiles must be avoided (hitting one temporarily paralyses the player). If all the balloons are popped, an extra life is given. At the end of the fourth stage, the criminal must be apprehended in a final challenge. In the Mega Drive version, this involves locating his hideout on a map. In the Game Gear version, it is a car chase, and other cars must be manoeuvred around. The Mega Drive version includes a 'free' mode, in which the mini-games can be practised, and a Competition mode. Up to four players are supported using the Multiplayer adaptor. Four of the games are only playable in these modes, such as the one in which the correct biscuits (cookies) must be collected. The Game Gear version features a Battle mode, in which two players compete by playing games against each other using the Gear-to-Gear cable to link two units, but features only twelve games, two of which are exclusive to this version. The PlayStation 2 version adds the games from the sequel,
Ichidant-R, and includes two new ones, for a total of thirty-eight. == Development and release ==