The Great Waldo Search is based on the popular Where's Waldo series of books. The player's goal is to find Waldo, who is hidden in various pictures, before time runs out. The clock is the main obstacle, and finding it adds more time to the search. Clicking on different items gives varying effects, such as adding points to the score or helping to locate Waldo.
The game features six adjacent screens with a continuous theme: The Carpet Flyers , The Underground Hunters , The Battling Monks , The Unfriendly Giants and The Land of Waldos . Players can choose from Normal, Expert or play the Land of waldos stage, with the only difference being no clock items on Expert difficulty.
Throughout all stages, the player must find both Waldo and a scroll to complete it. However, Waldo's location must be found before the scroll can be collected. Additionally, Waldo's dog Woof is present in most stages (except for the Land of waldos ) and finding him allows players to play an extra bonus stage where they collect points while controlling Woof on a flying carpet.