Ballyhoo
Commodore 64 · 1986
About this game
Ballyhoo is an interactive fiction computer game designed by Jeff O'Neill and published by Infocom in 1985.
It was released for ten different 8 and 16-bit platforms, including MS-DOS, Atari ST, and Commodore 64.
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It is Infocom's nineteenth game.
With a circus-themed plot, the game's tagline was "Big-time suspense under the Big Top!"
The player's character is bedazzled by the spectacle of the circus and the mystery of the performer's life.
After attending a show of Tomas Munrab's "The Travelling Circus That Time Forgot", the player loiters near the tents instead of rushing through the exit.
Maybe some clowns will practice a new act, or perhaps at least one of the trapeze artists will trip...
Instead, the player overhears a strange conversation.
The circus' owner has hired a drunken, inept detective to find his daughter Chelsea, who has been kidnapped.
Munrab is convinced that it was an outside job; surely his loyal employees would never betray him like this!
As the player begins to investigate the abduction, it soon becomes clear that the circus workers don't appreciate the intrusion.
Their reactions range from indifference to hostility to attempted murder.
In order to unravel the mystery, the player engages in a series of actions straight out of a circus fan's dream: dressing up as a clown, walking the high wire, and taming lions.
About Commodore 64
Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 is the best-selling home computer model of all time, with an enormous software library spanning games, productivity tools, and everything in between. C64 game collecting centers on cassette tapes and floppy disks in their original packaging — physical media that's inherently fragile, so complete, working copies from the era are increasingly prized by retro computing collectors.
Gamevaro tracks Ballyhoo for Commodore 64 with separate market values for loose, complete-in-box (CIB) and factory-sealed copies, sourced from real eBay sales. Prices also vary by region — PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J releases of the same game often sell for different amounts due to print run sizes and regional collector demand.
Adding Ballyhoo to a Gamevaro collection takes seconds — search by title or scan the box barcode, and the app fills in cover art, release details and current pricing automatically. This C64 release dates back to 1986.
Market values by condition
PAL
Recent sales
| Date | Type | Region | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-17 | Loose / Item only | PAL | €81.91 |
Rarity & condition
Only a handful of market sales have been tracked for Ballyhoo, suggesting it doesn't trade hands very often — a sign of relative scarcity compared to more common Commodore 64 titles.
Complete-in-box (CIB) copies typically command a premium over loose cartridges/discs because the original box and manual are more fragile and get discarded or damaged over time — fewer complete sets survive.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Ballyhoo worth?
Ballyhoo for Commodore 64 is currently worth €81.91 loose. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.
Is Ballyhoo rare?
Ballyhoo has only a handful of tracked market sales, suggesting relative scarcity compared to more common Commodore 64 titles.
What's the difference between loose, CIB and sealed for Ballyhoo?
Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. These are tracked as separate market values because the price gap between them can be significant, especially for older releases.
Ratings & Reviews
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