Fred and Barney are searching for their children, Pebbles and Bam-Bam who got lost. When they finally find them, a volcanic eruption blocks their way and so they start going all the way around the mountain to find out why this happened and of course to save their children.

The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak is the second Flintstones-licensed game for the NES. There are two characters you can play with. By pressing the Select button you can change from Fred to Barney and vice versa. Each character has unique abilities that are needed to complete certain parts of each stage. For example Fred can grab the edges of a roof or a hill and climb while Barney can hang from ropes and vines. In terms of weapons Fred has a bat which is stronger and can also be charged for extra power but it takes more time to use. Barney on the other hand has a slingshot and can shoot small rocks for ranged attacks but rather weak. There are also weapons like throwing axes and bowling balls that both can use.