[2][3][4][5] The game was originally released for Mac computers and distributed freely on bulletin board systems as charityware to raise money for the AIDS epidemic.

The player takes on the role of Tracker McDyke, a lesbian private detective, who must find her kidnapped friend and drag queen, Tessy LaFemme.

[11] The game was distributed freely over bulletin board systems (BBS), which allowed programs and information to be shared between computers using telephone lines.

This version swapped out the main characters' names and other details to exclude LGBT themes, so that they could sell it to a publisher that might not have been interested in an LGBT-related game.

Ralph found original floppy disks of both Caper in the Castro and Murder on Mainstreet while in the process of moving.

[1] Adrienne Shaw, the director of the LGBTQ Video Game Archive, reached out to The Strong National Museum of Play to find a way to access the data on the floppy disks.