Early in World War I, generals of all armies realized the strategic importance of reconnaissance aircraft that could provide intelligence on enemy movements.

One German squadron, the Jagdgeschwader I, commanded by Manfred von Richthofen , was nicknamed the "Flying Circus" because of the bright colors of its aircraft.

The game contains 200 counters, a large paper hex grid map, and aircraft sheets to track speed, altitude, diving and climbing ability, ammunition supply, and damage suffered.

Critic David Bolton predicted that "a lot of copies of Flying Circus will be gathering dust all over the country."

"[4] In Issue 4 of Moves, Martion Campion thought that Flying Circus "deals with the battles of World War I aircraft in a very appealing way."

Campion found some of the scenarios were "faulty", including one Allied reconnaissance mission that turned out to be an automatic victory.

Campion concluded by recommending the game for both novices and gamers, saying, "Admittedly, it contains compromises, but it is still realistic, simple to operate, and challenging at the same time - a rare combination.