Bart's Nightmare is an action game based on the TV cartoon show The Simpsons. The player navigates Bart through the side-scrolling overworld, collecting pages of his homework while avoiding various enemies modeled after characters from the show. For example, his sister Lisa would occasionally turn him into a frog, Principal Skinner may force him to wear a Sunday school uniform (slowing his movement), etc. Bart can repel enemies by blowing a bubble gum at them.