Use the official Circus MAME ROM page without bypassing its permission step
Open MAMEdev's Circus title page and complete its non-commercial acknowledgement there before choosing either Circus download. The page and approved catalog permit free non-commercial use through MAMEdev but do not authorize ArcadeShelf or another site to mirror, bundle, proxy, hotlink, or fetch the ROMs. For MAME 0.289, `circus` is the parent and `circuso` is the older clone; the `springbd` bootleg is not covered by those two official choices, and both approved sets remain marked imperfect sound.
Do this in order
- 01
Open the exact MAMEdev Circus page, read the non-commercial condition, and complete its acknowledgement on that site before initiating any download.
- 02
Choose the current Circus or Circus (older) option deliberately and record the official page URL, choice, permission scope, and August 5, 2026 review date.
- 03
Keep the source archive private, preserve its original identity, and calculate a local checksum for your own receipt without uploading the file or checksum as a redistribution claim.
- 04
Record the target emulator and revision; in official MAME 0.289, use `circus` for the parent or `circuso` for the older clone and do not substitute the `springbd` bootleg.
- 05
Run the target build's own audit and launch with defaults, recording only version, short name, audit summary, analog-control result, and imperfect-sound warning.
- 06
Keep ArcadeShelf's action labeled Official source and return to MAMEdev for future acquisition or permission review; disable the link if the page or terms materially change.
Decision and diagnostic table
| Official-page choice | MAME 0.289 identity | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Circus | circus parent | Free non-commercial use through MAMEdev page |
| Circus (older) | circuso clone | Same acknowledgement; separate technical set |
| Springboard | springbd bootleg | Not one of the official page's two choices |
| Acrobat TV name | Historical Taito name in driver | Not a separate download or permission grant |
The official page is part of the permission flow
MAMEdev credits H.R. Kauffman with making the original Circus ROM images available for free non-commercial use and requires the user to acknowledge that restriction before download. A direct-file shortcut would remove a condition the source page deliberately presents.
MAMEdev's catalog limits approved distribution to its site. Factual linking is allowed by the ArcadeShelf review, but mirroring, bundling, proxying, caching, hotlinking, or native background acquisition is not.
Two approved choices are two set identities
The fixed 0.289 driver registers `circus` as the parent and `circuso` as the older clone. Preserve which official choice you obtained and let that build audit it; a filename rename cannot convert one set into the other.
A clean audit has a known ceiling
MAME 0.289 marks both Circus sets as supporting saves and having imperfect sound. The source also retains line-drawing PROM evidence that is not used by emulation. A good ROM audit can prove that required bytes match the build, but it cannot remove those driver limits or expand the non-commercial permission.
Circus is not public domain. The reviewed grant is free non-commercial use through the MAMEdev source page only. ArcadeShelf does not host, mirror, proxy, cache, hotlink, bundle, or fetch the ROMs and does not claim rights to screenshots, cabinet art, overlays, audio, manuals, the bootleg set, or the Acrobat TV name.