Superman is a beat'em up with some shoot'em up elements developed and published Taito. It was only released in the arcades and has no connection with the other video games titled "Superman".

The game does not seem to explain its story. According to the net, Superman needs to defend Earth against one evil Emperor Zaas, a character created for the game.

Superman can punhc, kick and fly. Kicks are much slower than punches and more difficult to place. Holding down punch will charge an energy blast which can be unleashed upon releasing the button. Superman cannot move while charging, only facing left or right. Some objects can be picked up and thrown at enemies. Enemies and objects sometimes leave behind colured rectangle which represent power-ups. Power-ups can increase health, increase the damage of the next punch or enhance the fire rate of Superman's laser eye shots during the shoot'em up stages. Some stages are scrolling automatically, with Superman flying through the air. These are shoot'em up sequences where you can shoot lasers with your eyes or punch.
The game can be played in 2-player co-op. the second player controls a colour-shifted second Superman.