Spanky, a cute little monkey, is locked in a tower filled with equally cute baddies. He must get to the top of four different towers, which can be chosen between when beginning the game. When the four towers have been climbed, the fifth tower remains.To get through the door and on to the next floor in the towers, Spanky must collect keys, which are sometimes held by the baddies. To aid him, he has a magic ball. Throwing the ball will stun the baddies for a short while, but not defeat them. However, by bouncing the ball it will grow in size, and depending on its size, it will explode in different patterns, and the shrapnel will kill off the baddies, clearing the way and releasing keys.Published by in Europe by Taito, Spanky fit straight into the company's portfolio of puzzle arcade platformers in the Bubble Bobble vein. The game also exists for the SNES, but the level layouts differ, as well as the fact that one cannot choose freely between the towers.