Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts

The Good
Every stage throws some sort of new gimmick, traps and tricks at you, ranging from currents in the latter half of stage two to the rotation of platforms in the former half of stage four. The ability to double jump does make for interesting strategies in the course of the stages. It's a relief that the stage bosses are a lot easier to take out after grinding your way in the progressively harder stages.

What comes as both a surprise and welcomed feature is the new armor system, making you want to get a new suit of armor more than ever. You really have the advantage upon getting the green armor, which magically enhances the weapons, making them stronger and phasing through walls. Upon getting the gold armor, the charged versions of the weapons are always helpful, even coming from the bad weapons. The shields are also useful for where better protection is due.

The Bad
While the difficulty in this game is what you'd expect from a GnG game, it can be incredibly unfair for the most part. The armor isn't so much protective as it is a weapon upgrade. It would have been better if the armor levelled down with each hit Arthur takes, because it takes forever to get the gold armor. Also the timer doesn't give you really that long to complete a stage, so you can't afford to take your sweet time against the Red Arremers. This game really could have done with a password or savegame feature to compensate for the difficulty.

The weapons that you get in this game are worse than the ones in "Ghouls n' Ghosts". Many of the weapons seem to do the same amount of damage. The only weapon you'll want to wield until you get the special bracelet in the second run is either the crossbow or the dagger, because everything else flies in awkward patterns and angles or can only be thrown one projectile at a time. It really stinks that you cannot launch your weapons up and down anymore.

The Bottom Line
It really shows that this third game in the series was a major step up in the world of Ghouls and Ghosts and Goblins. At the same time much of the good stuff from the prequel that makes for easier gameplay has been discarded. The previous two games just cannot prepare you for every enemy, trap and boss this game discharges at you. I can only recommend this game to hardcore platform players who can cope with Ninja Gaiden, Zelda II and Castlevania mixed together in one cartridge.