$._
                   .                 $   `'"ee.,
                  ,$.              ,"        ,"
                 ," $.            '"4.   e"`$
               ,$'   `$.             $;  $  ,;$4.
             .4;   .   `$        .de;$;  $;$'   .$
              ;$   $'e;'        $'         '"4$;"        ,
           ;$'"   4'  ,"$.    .$"4e,.    .,e;ed'$;     ,$"$4.
          $,.     ;, $    `ee'   .$; $;  $$.     ,$.,,$"    `"4e,
          '  ;$  $;  :$,  $'`$;  $;  $;  $ `$,  $' ,$'  ,$e,   ;
           .e4  ;$   '$;  $  $;  $;  $;  $  $;  $  $;   $ $;   $
       ,e.d'"  4$     ';  $,;$;  $;  $;  $  $;  $  $;   4,$;   $;  _,
     ,$         ""' pH    `e$'   "4  $;  $ ."'  ", 4;,   "'     `'e
   ,$ _,eee.,      1911     _    .$' $;  $  e. ,e   "$,   ,4,   ,"
 ,$'"       `'"4$P'    `,d$" `"4$P   $;  $   '$'      `"$"   "$"
                                     $;  $
     II:   R I S E   O F   T H E     $;  $    S I N I S T R A L S
                                     $;  $
                                      $.$
                                       $

LUFIA II: RISE OF THE SINISTRALS, for the Super Nintendo
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ/Walkthrough, rev. 1.1, September 8th, 2003
(c) Phoenix 1911 <[email protected]>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aloha, and yes, I realize that the audience for this game isn't exactly
sky-scraping.  But, I still made a guide for it.  So what for, you ask?
Boredom, in combination with the fact that this is the first RPG I've
ever played and really liked.  So, here I present another Phoenix 1911
piece of crap, hope it helps, and beware for SPOILERS!  Not only on the
storyline, but solutions to puzzles might spoil the fun too!  And if
you're stuck, drop me a line or give any of the complete FAQs on
gamefaqs.com a look.  They're all worth checking.  Of course, an
introduction advertising for other guides gives most people the initial
impression that this guide must suck, but hey, I do everything for that
royal bribe that's been offered to me... oh, never mind.

Before we start, please take these three points in mind:

1.  This FAQ is copyrighted.  Don't gain any profit of it--reproduction
   and modification are prohibited, except for personal, private use.
   If you're a FAQ author and wish to use parts of my FAQ in any way,
   please contact me first.
2.  The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at GameFAQs.
   Wanna host this file?  Great!  You have to drop me a line requesting
   permission, and most likely you will get it.  I especially encourage
   fan-sites to list this document!
3.  I get almost no e-mail concerning this game, so I'll probably reply
   if you drop me a line.  If I don't, it's either my laziness, or a
   technical problem (I didn't receive it, etc.).  Make sure to see
   section 5 first before contacting me!

Thanks for your courtesy, and have fun.

Note that I changed e-mail addresses; everything sent to my @hccnet.nl
after September 2004 was not received by me.  See above for my new
address, and sorry for any inconvenience.


 Table o' Contents:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   1.  THE GAME BASICS
         1-A:  Introduction
         1-B:  Cast of Characters
         1-B:  Getting Acquainted
         1-C:  Combat

   2.  WALKTHROUGH
         2-A:  How to Kick Monster Butt
         2-B:  Earthquake!  Take Cover!
         2-C:  The Crown
         2-D:  The Treasure Hunter
         2-E:  Hilda Kidnapped!
         2-F:  The Ruby Apple
         2-G:  The Treasure Sword
         2-H:  Gordovan Destroyed
         2-I:  The Almighty Dekar
         2-J:  Gades; the Showdown
         2-K:  Jeros Kidnapped!
         2-L:  The Phantom Tree
         2-M:  A Mysterious Melody
         2-N:  Follow Idura
         2-O:  The Pretty Flower
         2-P:  The Ruby Icon
         2-Q:  The Miserable Pebble
         2-R:  The Submarine
         2-S:  The Sealed Power
         2-T:  An Evil Spirit
         2-U:  The Mirror of Truth
         2-V:  The Fire Dragon
         2-W:  A Town of Mermaids
         2-X:  Snag the Engine!
         2-Y:  The Three Towers
         2-Z:  To Doom Island!

   3.  APPENDICES
         3-A:  The Ancient Cave
         3-B:  Forfeit Island
         3-C:  The Dragon Eggs
         3-D:  Start/Retry/Gift
         3-E:  Capsule Monsters

   5.  FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS

   6.  THE FAQ'S REAR BUTT


 What's New?!:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - Layout revision, to look more like my other Lufia FAQ (the GBA-
    one).  Sections are reorganized, and some sub-sections were
    renamed, both to improve browsing.  Let's hope it helps!
  - Small changes, e.g. items are now referred to by their in-game
    names.  If I've used Jet Helmet, for example, it's now "Jet Helm".
    (I've probably missed a few things.)
  - Boss stats (ATK, etc.) are now included, with thanks to Basil Brush
    who let me use them.
  - I've noticed, while updating, that this text is quite a bit on the
    cheery side; this guide counts over 600 exclamation marks, while my
    recent work (a bigger one, for another Lufia game) doesn't even hit
    the 200.  I've decided to leave most sentence structure intact,
    though.

  * As of now, the guide in this state isn't what I'd call my best
    work, so I might (read: might) completely go through it (and the
    game) again and redo lots of things.  If I decide to do so, expect
    more in-depth boss strategies, charts, corrections, and more.


========================================================================
PART 1:  THE GAME BASICS
========================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-A:  Introduction
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Lufia II is the "pre-sequel" to the first Lufia; the game is released
 after the first, but the events take place before it.  Cool, eh?  The
 plot is about a fellow named Maxim, a monster hunter, who on a certain
 day hears that his destiny is... to fight.  Being whipped by this, he
 now lives to try to discover what this means...  Meanwhile, superior
 creatures known as Sinistrals, are planning to start a war with humans
 because they want to have the world of Lufia for their own.  Arek,
 their leader, heard that the Dual Sword, a legendary sword, was
 resonating, and knew that this was the time to strike...  (Overuse of
 commas not intended.)

 In case you didn't get the point: you have to save the freaking world.
 Again.

 According to the legend of Lufia, four heroes prevented the ultimate
 disaster by destroying the four Sinistrals on their island.  In Lufia
 II, you take the role of Maxim and the many friends he will meet, to
 experience the complete history of this legend.

 I can still remember the good ol' days when I occasionally rented
 games and powered up my Super Nintendo to play.  One of those games
 was Lufia II, and I can't remember how many times I've rented it--I DO
 know that buying the game in the beginning would save me (erm,
 parents) a LOT of money...  When I've finally gotten my hands on my
 own cartridge, I again beat it a plethora of times.  And even today,
 the game's still a wonderful thing if you ask me.  It ranks the tops
 of the Super Nintendo chart of best games of all times, along with
 other classics like Chrono Trigger, although your mileage may vary.
 Chances are that if you read this FAQ, that isn't the case.

   Note:  I am so unfortunately to live in the Netherlands, where the
          great games reach my local games stores either much later
          than US residents get them or not at all--I've got Lufia II
          but never saw a drop of the first one, and thus was the game
          released here as "Lufia", i.e. without the "II".  I'm sure
          this is also the case with other countries (I guess every
          country bar the US and Japan).  This FAQ, of course, is based
          on the version released in the US.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-B:  Cast of Characters
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The heroes and the heroines.  Let's give them all a round of applause:

 Maxim:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Hey, he's you!  No wait... you're he.  Whatever.
  - BIO:  His occupation is the hunting of monsters, selling them to
    some weird woman who fancies him, until he some day hears that his
    destiny is to fight.  Since there's nothing more to do in Elcid, he
    goes off to find out about this destiny of his.
  - BATTLE:  Well, since he's the main character, he's average.  Or
    he's "all-around"; whatever adjective you prefer.  He will be in
    your party every time, and he isn't bad, but he isn't terribly good
    either.  Well, I don't have much more to say about him.  As a small
    note, try to remember that everything's just about my opinion;
    maybe Maxim is the best character in the game for you, but I'm the
    sorta guy that wants to eradicate anything out of my way with brute
    strength.  And Maxim happens to be "average".  So there you go.

 Tia:
 ¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Some annoying woman, wannabe girlfriend.
  - BIO:  Tia is a shopkeeper in Elcid.  She's a quite humble person,
    and is worried about Maxim.  She's a stubborn person too (read:
    annoying).
  - BATTLE:  Providing unbiased information is a sign of a professional
    authorship.  Unfortunately, you're dealing with some random dweeb
    strolling around the Internet, hoping to eventually make it as a
    writer, and miserably failing.  So: I say she sucks.  She's one of
    the weakest characters in the game--she, well, starts off using a
    frying pan as a weapon.  A *frying pan*, hello?  She does know how
    to handle magic, surpassing Maxim in that department.  Her speed is
    another plus as well, so she makes for a good healer.  Use her as a
    backup, although I personally choose to have her take all the hits
    so my Maxim doesn't get hurt.  Emancipation?  There you have it.

 Guy:
 ¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Master swordsman.  According to him.
  - BIO:  You'll meet this guy, Guy, in Tanbel.  I wonder if he also
    has a dog, and if he called it "Dog"?  Anyway, his main reason to
    join you is because this henchman of the Sinistrals, Camu, captured
    and hurt his sister!  And Maxim just happens to be after those
    Sinistrals!  Guy also has a girlfriend in Tanbel, Jessy, and, well,
    it's not _that_ perfect.
  - BATTLE:  In battle, he's all strong and powerful.  Of course, if
    you want to have a solid chunk of muscles, you'll have to bear with
    being unable to use magic.  Usually not a problem, because most
    enemies don't have high physical defense.  So when you get him,
    make sure to place him in the front row so he takes the hard hits
    and dish out whoppin' chunks of damage.  It seems that Guy is the
    complete opposite of Tia--he's slow as hell.

 Selan:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  One Nasty Chick.
  - BIO:  Yep, one nasty chick...  Being the Commander of Parcelyte's
    not-so-wonderful army, she protects the villagers and is an idol of
    many.  She'll first join you only because it was ordered, but
    you'll gain more and more trust from her throughout the game.
  - BATTLE:  She's a quite powerful magician, and additionally, she is
    able to handle weapons like swords!  She's not TOO powerful, but
    not as extremely bad as that Frypan-using creature named Tia.  But
    she's quite slow as well, but for the rest, well, Selan's okay.
    Not really one of my favorites, though, since she also seems
    proficient in taking lots of damage from physical attacks.

 Dekar:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Favorite character.  Hunk of muscles.
  - BIO:  Being my favorite character of all time, he's a guy who does
    anything (everything) to keep his reputation high.  Dekar is the
    bodyguard of Prince Alex of Bound Kingdom, and is famous for his
    awesome fighting skills.  His super-special "BlastMaster"-attack is
    feared by many, and in his words, monsters are "...like... well,
    zeros, like even less than nothing!"
  - BATTLE:  Let's start with his weaknesses: like Guy, he's slow.
    This wouldn't be a real problem, though, since speed isn't the most
    significant thing in this game.  As for his magical skills, well,
    damn--he'd score a negative twelve if he'd do an intelligence
    test...  So he's unable to cast spells, but do you NEED those if
    you have Dekar?  His strength is so damn great he's able to kick
    anyone's fat ass via your grandmother's toilet room to some obscure
    tourist shop in South Korea!

 Lexis Shaia:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Smartass, geek, dweeb, nerd...  You name it!
  - BIO:  He is everything except for Dekar, i.e. very smart.  Not
    smart, but abnormally smart.  So he's either a frustrated maniac or
    a complete genius, like Lucca (Chrono Trigger).  Though his
    inventions occasionally fail, he is known as a legend in the world
    beyond Treadool (where they know better).  Of course, he'll be
    useful in your quest!  And, now we're done with his background,
    let's ramble about his usefulness in battle.
  - BATTLE:  Lexis's strength is something everyone complains about; I
    mean, come on... he uses friggin' *tools* to attack!  So, ok, the
    word "muscle" doesn't appear in his vocabulary, but we can live
    with that... especially now it turns out that his intelligence is
    the highest of everyone in the game!  Though he will only be in
    your party for a brief while, Lexis makes for a perfect healer
    since he's fast too.  Don't depend on him too much, since he's a
    good bit on the weak side, which is why so many people don't like
    (read: thoroughly disgust) him.

 Artea/Arty:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - ROLE:  Transsexual (see notes) elf warrior.
  - BIO:  Artea is a warrior, whose reason to join you is a Sinistral,
    responsible for the death of his friend.  Having sworn to avenge
    her, Artea fights on your side, even though many elves aren't fond
    of humans.  ("But he joined _us_!  So, one more disagreement and
    you're OUT!).
  - BATTLE:  If characters were to be affiliated with an element, Artea
    would be holy.  He's the only one able to cast the spells "Fry" and
    "Zap", which are, seeing as many monsters are weak against it, all-
    around useful.  His speed is the fastest of all characters as well,
    so that's a pro if healing is needed.  His magic resistance is good
    too, and his magic power isn't to be left out either!  Everything
    else I haven't mentioned, like physical power, is a bit lower than
    average.

      Note:  Although Artea is many times spoken to with "Arty", I will
             refer to him by "Artea".  I never really liked "Arty".
             Stupid girl name.

      Note:  Coincidentally, I've heard that Arty was "translated" into
             a girl in some countries...


------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-C:  Getting Acquainted
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ...also known as "role-playing games for dummies"; or "a beginner's
 guide to RPGs"; but most likely "the crap you can skip".  The "The
 Nuts 'n Bolts" section is copied from my other FAQs, because they just
 happened to be for RPGs as well.  Listen up!


 CONTROLS -------------------------------------------------------------

 Here are the controls of the game!  I don't think it's possible (in-
 game-wise) to change the setup of the buttons.  And no, I will not
 serve you a crappy ASCII-drawing of a SNES-controller.

   X      -- Opens up menu (not when you're in battle).  When the
             cursor is over an item or weapon and you press X, you'll
             see more info (including IP data) on that item.
   Y      -- In dungeons, use Y to use a skill, like an arrow.
   A      -- This is to confirm things and all, and to interact.
   B      -- Cancel.  Or in dungeons, use this to swing your sword.
   Start  -- Sometimes used to confirm things.
   Select -- With Select, you can change skills.
   L      -- That's mister L-button for you.  This button does the
             "standard" action, thus confirm when in battle or use a
             skill when in a dungeon.  Marvelous--now you can use your
             left hand to play and your right hand to eat!
   R      -- When you're in a dungeon, hold R and you can turn to any
             direction without actually making a step.  Remember this;
             it is in certain points crucial if you want to continue!
             In battle, use R to target all enemies (or allies), if
             it's possible.

 Resetting the game software-wise can be done by simultaneously
 pressing and holding L, R, Start and Select.


 THE NUTS 'N BOLTS ----------------------------------------------------

 RPG.  That's role-playing game, I guess, and this genre involves
 gazing at your television screen or PC monitor while controlling a
 bunch of people.  The A-B-C is simple: your goal is to walk around and
 visit wacky places, slapping together a team of super-skilled
 personages, and accomplishing a certain goal (which is most likely
 saving the world for the thirty-seventh time).

 But wait; that's not all!  While doing this, you have to explore
 dungeons and slay monsters the monsters inside.  By doing this, you
 will get better (a.k.a. gaining experience), so that you can slay more
 monsters, so that you can slay the boss of the monsters (who usually
 resides near the end of a dungeon), and so that you can eventually
 slay the boss of the bosses.  Isn't that fun?!  To be frank, it's not.
 Fortunately, there is a storyline that makes you forget most of this
 essential RPG-element.

 A bit more on that gaining experience: another typical RPG-element is
 leveling up; fighting monsters willingly to get stronger, making
 future enemies a breeze.  In this game, as long as you don't escape
 from most battles, it's not absolutely necessary to spend hours of
 leveling up, but staying ahead a couple of levels DOES make the game a
 tad easier.  Of course, not only your experience level determines your
 strength in battle--you'll have to equip your characters with weapons
 as well.

 Besides dungeons, RPGs contain places where special events occur, and
 towns.  If you wanna save the world, it doesn't help much to stay in
 the same place the whole game, eh?  Therefore, you have to move on.
 Towns consist mostly of houses, shops and inns.  Shops make it
 possible to buy and sell things, and inns are sowed just about
 everywhere to recover every single lost bit of HP and MP.  EVEN if
 you've been roasted to a pile of nothingness, or attacked brutally by
 a madman, or just lost a few limbs... an inn instantly cures ANYTHING.
 The price of an inn, contrary to equipment, varies from town to town.
 It's mostly not much, trust me.

 You will also have to buy new armor and upgrade your weapons; like I
 said above, leveling up alone won't be enough to sustain the damage
 you take from newer enemies.  Stronger equipment is acquired as you
 go; a handful is hidden in chests, and there are always shops that put
 these things up for sale.  These stores are your main source of
 equipment, and monsters will be your main source of income (as well as
 selling your older gear).  Defeating them will result in the
 acquisition of G (gold; currency in the game), to reimburse the costs,
 or to sleep at inns to recover your health.  There you go.


 FEATURES UNIQUE TO LUFIA II ------------------------------------------

 Of course, not entirely "unique", but unique in such a way that not
 99% of all RPGs tackle the system in a similar way.

 There're random battles, but those are only on the world map; there
 are so few that your controller/tv/cat will survive your frustration
 this time.  Random battles are battles that commence randomly as you
 walk around.  In dungeons, you will see monsters.  When you touch one
 of the four squares surrounding them, combat starts (unless they are
 stunned).  If you catch them in the back, you will gain an extra round
 of attacking (surprise attack), but if vice-versa, _you_ will have to
 bear with an extra black eye.  When you touch an enemy from the
 _side_, or vice-versa, then it's randomly determined whether you get a
 normal round or a surprise attack, I believe.

 Lufia II places the emphasis on puzzles, and because of that, Maxim is
 given a variety of "skills"--these skills can be used by pressing Y.
 In the beginning, for example, you have an arrow.  You can use it to
 hit monsters to stun them (allowing you to avoid a battle with them),
 and push buttons from afar.  Later, you get the bomb, to blow up weak
 walls, etc.  Remember to use these skills, as you won't be able to
 continue the game without them!

 That's that.  What you will do mostly is walking forward, grabbing a
 pot, placing it on a switch, heading into the next area and killing
 all enemies, et cetera, et cetera...  Much like in most other RPGs,
 you have to move, explore and interact.  Traditionally, there are four
 types of screens: the field, the battle screen, the world map, and the
 menu.


 THE FIELD SCREEN -----------------------------------------------------

 This includes the areas such as dungeons, but also towns.  In towns,
 it's mostly gathering info and shopping, while dungeons place the
 emphasis on puzzles and, of course, monsters.  While some other RPGs
 don't have too much dungeon elements except for switches, Lufia II has
 a motherload of them.  It seems the programmers were quite inspired by
 the creators of the Zelda series, so you'll probably recognize a thing
 or two.  Or three.  Four.

  - SWITCHES:  This includes levers and switches you have to swing your
    sword at or pull by hand.  Mostly, you can use skills to switch
    them, such as arrows, to flip levers from afar.
  - BUTTONS:  There are two of these: buttons you have to walk over to
    switch them (mostly have a triangle in the middle) and then stay
    switched forever, and buttons that need something (e.g. pillars) to
    cover them for a period and otherwise "un-switch".
  - BUSHES:  Swing your sword to mow them down.  Sometimes, there's a
    hidden switch under them!  There's also grass that re-grows after
    you do a few steps, but you're most likely dealing with a puzzle
    then.  On the wall are also vines; some of them cover a secret
    passageway (but it should be fairly obvious that there's something
    hidden).
  - GRABBIES:  These objects can be grabbed and placed elsewhere.  Most
    of the time these are pots, which must be placed on buttons.
  - PUSHIES:  These suckers can't be grabbed 'cause they're too heavy!
    They are mainly pillars and blocks.  Notable is that they can be
    pushed, but NOT pulled!
  - WEAK SPOTS:  Weak walls, which you have to bomb your way through,
    and weak floors; just walk over them to fall down.
  - RECOVERY:  In most dungeons, there's at least one place with
    healing tiles, where you can recover HP and/or MP, and save your
    game.  They look like a round golden platform with a sign in the
    middle; a red logo for HP-recovery, a blue swan for MP-recovery, a
    star for save points.

 Maxim comes with a Skill Ring, which shows you what skills you have.
 Skills are, well, skills that you use outside of battle and inside
 dungeons; they include arrows to, for instance, switch levers from
 afar.  All available skills, bar the bomb, can be used to stun enemies
 for a short period of six steps--touching them while they are
 paralyzed won't result in a battle.  Skills can be utilized
 infinitely, so feel free to abuse them like hell.  Here's a list of
 the skills Maxim will get to use in his quest:

  - RESET:  If you are dumb, this skill is important for you.  This
    will reset the room you're in to the state it was in before you
    entered it, including enemies, excluding chests.  If you're stuck
    on a puzzle (e.g. pushed a pillar against a wall), use this.
  - ARROW:  You know the Bow and Arrows in the Zelda series, no?  This
    is the same, except that the arrow doesn't kill (does damage to)
    enemies, and only stuns them.  You can also use this to switch
    levers and some more things... I forgot already.
  - BOMB:  You know the Bomb in the Zelda series, no?  This is the
    same, except that its main purpose is to blow up cracks.  They
    detonate after six steps, and do zero damage to any moving or
    living thing in its adjacency.
  - HOOK:  You know the Hookshot in the Zelda series, no?  This is the
    same.  Plant this piece in a pillar or something to cross chasms
    and get swung to the other side.
  - FIRE ARROW:  You know the Arrow in the Lufia series, no?  This is
    the same, except that there's a flame on the tip, which burns
    through grass.  Which means, of course, there's more puzzling
    ahead...
  - HAMMER:  You know the Hammer in the Zelda series, no?  This is the
    same, except that you can only break broken walls with this (i.e.
    bomb), or push away pillars you can't reach.  So actually it is not
    the same, but whatever.

 Now, let's talk about towns.  Almost every town has the following
 features (or some of them):

  - CHURCH:  This looks like, uh, a church.  Big white building--you
    can't miss it.  In here, talk to the dude who claims to be some
    holy person, and you'll be offered three things; save, revive
    (costs 10G times character's level) and cure status effects, or
    lift a curse.
  - INN:  This does what the church doesn't; recover all lost HP and MP
    (but not reviving a character).  Price varies from town to town,
    but thanks to a certain bug, if you don't have the required money,
    you can sleep for free.  What kind people!
  - SHOP:  In these shops, you can buy new items, weapons, whatever;
    recommended to do.  Failure in doing so will result in not going
    with the latest trend, and your friends will not want to play with
    you anymore.
  - MAGIC:  There's also a magic shop, which appears less often than
    item/weapon/armor shops.  You can buy powerful spells here, like
    Strong (to heal your characters).
  - CAFE:  You can buy tea here and other crap.  Useless--go save the
    damn world first and THEN you may waste your time here.

 Shopping "techniques": okay, so "techniques" isn't the right word.
 Whatever the case, when you buy something you can choose to equip it
 immediately (handy).  If you want more of the same kind, you can
 select it and use the Directional buttons to change the amount.  And
 also, make sure you don't forget to press X over items to discover
 various info (as well as data on IP-attacks, if applicable).


 THE BATTLE SCREEN ----------------------------------------------------

 In dungeons, monsters only move when you do.  That's a good thing,
 because you can easily avoid them then.  The most important thing is
 to look for a pattern: sometimes they walk in circles, or full speed
 against the wall, or in the opposite direction of your moves.  In the
 walkthrough, I don't mention every enemy there is, by the way.

 This game also features surprise-attacks, like I said in the RPG-
 basics section above.  If you attack an enemy in the back, you'll get
 an extra round of attacking, and this can be done with most enemies
 you'll find.  If you're not careful, you will get attacked in the back
 yourself.  To make matters worse, the party formation is reversed, so
 if your weakest characters were in the back, they're now in the front!
 Switching characters doesn't take up a round, so put the stronger
 people front as soon as possible.

 See section 1-D for an explanation of the battle system, or if you
 have nothing better to do.


 THE WORLD MAP --------------------------------------------------------

 You know the world map, yes?  From here, you can visit towns and
 dungeons and all, and you'll also encounter random battles (though not
 TOO many) here.


 THE MENU SCREEN ------------------------------------------------------

 This part covers the menu screen (press X to bring it up).  There is a
 number of options you can choose from, on top of the screen is the
 status of your party members, and below is the time you've been
 playing, and your amount of gold.  If you press Select, you can see
 instead what your Capsule Monster wants to eat.  Um, now I'll cover
 those options you can choose from:

 Item:
 ¯¯¯¯¯
   View what you have in your inventory (including skills and
   equipment).  You can use the non-battle-only items, sort your list
   (curative first, equipment last), and drop items (delete them from
   your list).

     Note:  Your item list is limited.  There's a total of 96 items,
            excluding equipped items and scenario items, you can wear
            at a time.  Upon accessing a 97th item, you'll have to free
            a slot (using the pop-up menu that appears).

 Spell:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Here, you'll see what spells you have, and if needed, you can also
   use them.  You can't use battle-only spells.  Also, you can sort
   your spell listing, so curative gets first and attack last.  Or,
   something along those lines... when I do it, it seems a bunch is
   sprayed randomly over the place.

 Capsule:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   This option becomes available as soon as you obtain your first
   Capsule Monster (most likely Jelze).  From here, you can feed your
   Capsule Monsters, switch them with another, or rename them.  You
   will read all about these dudes in section 4-B.

 Equip:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Equip your team.  Press L and R to switch characters.  There are
   five options: "EQUIP" (change equipment), "STRONGEST" (equips best
   stuff automatically), "REMOVE" (un-equips things), "REMOVE ALL" (un-
   equips all), and "DROP" (dump in river).

 Status:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   You'll see, in one screen, a single character's HP/MP status, their
   equipment, stats, experience points, and their IP-percentage.  You
   can press L and R to select others.

 Change:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Change the party's formation!  You can place powerhouses in the
   front because they're strong, and leave the usually weak magic users
   in the back.  Users in the front will hit harder (but get hit harder
   too), and magic will do the same hurtin' whether you're in front or
   the back.

 Config:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   A short setup screen, where you can change the message display speed
   (default: fast), whether the battle and/or status cursor's location
   stays in the memory (default) or gets cleared, and you can choose
   between stereo (default) and mono.

 Scenario:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Not a too important section...  I think the developers just put this
   in to have eight options to choose from.  Anyway, this shows what
   key items (mostly keys) you've got.  You don't need to "select" them
   if you want to use them; throughout the game, this is done
   automatically.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-D:  Combat
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 EQUIP YOUR CHARACTERS ------------------------------------------------

 Lufia II is a strategy game, and equipping better gear is essential if
 you want to survive.  It's not a matter of collecting new weapons and
 equipping what's stronger--in fact, what kind of IP-technique the
 equipment has and its elemental affiliation also factor in choosing
 what's best!  You'll learn about this hoo-ha later on when you read
 further.  First, I have to address something I couldn't find any other
 section for.

 A note about cursed equipment.  If you put a cursed thing on, then you
 cannot get rid of it!  Until you un-curse it, that is to say; you must
 go to a Church and ask to lift it (costs money).  Uncursing it is
 either positive or negative; sometimes it ups more stats, but in a few
 cases some things cannot be done anymore.  You can also lift curses
 using an item--a Curselifter--but that's only in a certain place.


 THE SCREEN -----------------------------------------------------------

 In a fight, there are three important statistics that indicate the
 status of a character:

  + HP (HIT POINTS):  This determines how much hits you can take.  If
    it's zero, you're dead meat, and if every party member is dead,
    it's game-over!  Keep an eye on this meter.

  + MP (MAGIC POINTS):  If you have enough MP, you can use magic, with
    which you can inflict damage to enemies, heal allies and much more.
    Check below for more info on this.

  + IP (ITEM POINTS):  While I'm not 100% sure IP is an abbreviation
    for "Item Points" (heard it's also Ikari Points), this is just like
    MP; if you have enough IP, you can use one of your equipment's IP-
    attacks.  You have a max of 255 points (though we mostly use
    percentages); you will get more as you get hit.


 THE OPTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------

 Lufia II's battle system works with rounds.  Every round, you get to
 choose three options:

  + SWITCH:  Place party members in the back or front, whatever you
    want to do.  This doesn't take up any rounds.  Those in front will
    do more physical damage, but take full damage from enemies too.
    Symbolized by two arrows.

  + ATTACK:  See below.  Symbolized by a sword.

  + RUN:  Run speaks for itself; remember that you can't run from some
    battles--if the attempt fails, you'll have to sacrifice a round.
    Symbolized by a running man.


 THE ACTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------

 If you select Attack, you'll get to a new menu with the following
 options:

  + ATTACK (SWORD/MIDDLE):  With this, your character will attack
    someone with his or her weapon.  If you select this, you usually
    have to select whom you want to attack, too.  Symbolized by a
    sword.

  + MAGIC (CANE/UP):  This will open up a box with the spells the
    performer is able to let loose.  You will lose MP when you use a
    spell, depending on which spell you use.  If you don't have the
    required MP amount, you can't.  Use the R-button to select people
    individually.  Symbolized by a cane.

  + IP TECHNIQUE (FLAME/DOWN):  This'll open up a window with a list of
    your equipment, and in case there are any, IP-techniques that
    belong to them.  If your IP-meter is full enough, you're able to
    perform an IP, and if it's not... well, you get the idea.  IP is
    effective, should you use it at the right moment on the right
    monsters.  Symbolized by a flame.

  + ITEM (BAG/LEFT):  You should always carry a solid number of items
    with you.  The kind varies from healing (e.g. Potions), attack
    (e.g. Boomerang), etc.  If you use an item, it will disappear, but
    it's possible to get more elsewhere.  Also, your item list includes
    the non-battle stuff (e.g. equipment) too, which you obviously
    cannot use while combating.  Symbolized by a bag.

  + DEFEND:  Use this and you will receive 1/3 less damage the next
    round--but you can't attack!  Though you can use this to heal the
    character, it's mostly used when you don't want him or her to kill
    off the enemy.  Symbolized by a shield.


 TYPES OF ATTACKS -----------------------------------------------------

 Physical Attacks:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Numbers!  There's a lot of them in this game, and in battle as well.
   When you successfully land a blow on the enemy, a number in white
   appears and leaves; this indicates how much damage (in HP) you've
   done to the targeted monster.  Of course, if enemies manage to hit
   you, that number shows up on YOUR character.  Damage does not cap at
   an effective amount of 9999 HP, like stats.  (They cap at 65,535,
   which every hex freak should know.)

   Of course, we've got critical hits and misses.  Critical hits occur
   when you're lucky; you'll do more damage (only when doing physical
   attacks, by the way).  I'm not sure what determines the success rate
   of these things, so let's get down to magic.

 Magical Attacks:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   An indispensable feature in role-playing games.  Your bag of magic
   spells consists of offensive and defensive spells.  Offensive spells
   are to damage the enemy (e.g. Fireball), and are sometimes better to
   use than physical attacks.  Defensive spells can be divided into two
   categories: healing and status-affecting.  Healing is mostly to
   recover HP, while status affecting is to, for instance, increase
   your attack power.

   Unlike other games like Chrono Trigger, you will have to buy spells,
   contrary to learning them.  Not everyone can use magic; Guy and
   Dekar, for example, think they don't need it anyway, and Maxim is
   unable to learn the Fire-spells.  How much damage your spells do
   depends on your INT-stat; the higher the better.  It's possible to
   spread spells throughout a whole party of enemies or allies.  Of
   course, the strength of the spell weakens if you do that, e.g.
   Valor, which heals 2000 HP, will heal 500 HP if you want to heal
   your whole team.

     Note:  There's an exception to the above, though: status-affecting
            magic usually ups stats by percentage, so it ups the same
            no matter what.  The downside of this is that the more you
            use this, the weaker it will be.  If you, for instance,
            cast Trick to up the ATP-stat of someone by 100, it will
            only raise it by 50 the next use.  Upon completing a
            battle, all stats will be reset.

 IP-Techniques:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   This is similar to the Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII.  When one
   of your party members gets hit, his or her IP-bar will grow.  Most
   weapons, armor and other equipment have an IP-skill.  If you have
   the required percentage, you can fire off one of those skills.  A
   weapon's IP-attack is mostly far more powerful than a regular, weak
   physical attack, so if you're facing a rather hard enemy (a boss),
   these IP-attacks are the key to victory!

   IP-techniques (or just "IPs") not only include offensive stuff, but
   also healing, status affecting, anything.  It of course depends on
   what equipment you choose the IP of--if from a weapon, then it's
   likely offensive.  If it's from a weapon affiliated with a certain
   element (e.g. Fire Dagger), then the IP is mostly too, etc.  Special
   in this case are the rings and stones; the IP from these vary from
   accessory to accessory.  While equipping your characters, you should
   not only look at the accessories' stats, but also its IP!  Yes, this
   game deals with strategy a lot.


 ELEMENTS AND ATTRIBUTES ----------------------------------------------

 There's a bunch of elements here in Lufia II, listed below:

   Dark         -- Includes instant-kill-spells (Perish and Destroy).
   Fire         -- Includes the spells Spark, Fireball and Firebird.
   Ice          -- Includes the spells Gale, Snow and Ice Valk.
   Holy         -- Includes the spells Fry and Zap, which can only be
                   used by Artea.  Disliked by dark/undead/Sinistral!
   Thunder      -- Includes the spells Flash, Bolt and Thunder.  While
                   I'm not really sure, I guess this is "Wind"-magic.
   Water        -- Includes the spells Droplet, Vortex and Dragon.
                   Does a world of good when used on fire-types.

 There are also things like "flying", which is not really an element,
 so I call those "attributes".  I still have to figure out which
 monsters are what types (although I'm probably too lazy to do it), so
 for now we can only guess what enemies apply to what attributes.  So
 yeah... the list below is inaccurate as hell.  (In case you're good at
 finding game info by looking at the hex data of the ROM of the game,
 and happen to know the byte-set for the attributes of monsters, I'm
 waiting for your contribution.)

   Dragon       -- Includes monsters with "Dragon" in their name, I
                   guess.  Equipped with the Dragon Ring, you'll
                   inflict mucho damage.
   Flying       -- If your opponent has wings, doesn't have feet, or
                   simply floats, don't use earth-based attacks; they
                   most likely miss.
   Insect       -- You can use the Insect Crush to inflict more damage.
                   Most insects/bugs/spiders/whatever appear in the
                   first dungeons.
   Sea          -- Well yeah, I guess that enemies you encounter on
                   boat are sea-types, and probably a couple of others
                   too.  You will inflict more damage when you have the
                   Sea Ring (Ancient Cave) equipped.
   Sinistral    -- Includes the Sinistrals; no need to say more, eh?
                   There are a couple of weapons that are supposed to
                   be effective, but... I forgot already.
   Undead       -- With the Undead Ring ready, you'll do more damage.
                   holy/light-spells inflict massive damage too, and
                   healing spells or items too!

 A note on undead enemies: they still have resistance to this, so using
 a Potion does not result in much damage.  Use Champion or Valor to do
 respectable damage, or use IP-attacks that "cure" by percentage to
 hurt more.  Undead monsters include two bosses: the Ghost Ship and the
 Venge Ghost.

 I'm sure there're more.  The developers did a good job on defenses and
 resistances and such, so if you see a monster made of wood, you should
 immediately think, "LOOK IT'S MADE OF WOOD!  GWARGH!  BURN, *BABY*,
 BURN!!"  Just use your common sense, if you've got one.  If you don't,
 well, you can always try.


 STATS ----------------------------------------------------------------

 You know what stats are, eh?  If you have a high ATP, you'll inflict
 more damage, while characters with a low DFP will visit the hospital
 more frequently.  In case you've got no friggin' idea what all those
 stats actually do, don't worry!  Your savior (er, ME) lists 'em here:

   ATP -- Attack Power determines how much damage you will do (physical
          attacks).
   DFP -- Defense power.  Like I said before, characters with a low DFP
          will visit the hospital more frequently, i.e. will sustain
          more damage.
   STR -- I haven't tested much with strength, but as far as I know,
          this doesn't affect attack, defense, etc.  Maybe this is just
          a stat that represents a character's strength in general, but
          doesn't affect anything in battle.  Whatever.
   AGL -- If a character has more agility than the enemy, then he or
          she will do his or her turn before the enemy's.  In a few
          cases it's a bit random, I believe.
   INT -- Intelligence, a.k.a. the bigger your brains are, the more
          damage your spells do.
   GUT -- Guts!  How much balls someone has.  For Capsule Monsters, I
          believe this affects how fast they'll run away (that'd make
          sense).  For party members, I'm not really sure about this; I
          heard people saying it affects IP growth rate, but I haven't
          seen it actually do something.
   MGR -- The more magic resistance you have, the more, uh, resistant
          you are to magic.  This is the only stat that can't be upped
          by the use of status-potions.

            Note:  It seems that stats do not cap at an effective level
                   of 999 but just go higher... so I'm not complaining.


 STATUS EFFECTS -------------------------------------------------------

 And not to forget: the status effects!  Some enemies, such as insect-
 types, inflict certain ailments, in this example they'd inflict
 Poison.  These can be healed using a certain item--if you were
 Poisoned, then you'll need an Antidote to cure it.  Not all status
 effects disappear after battle, but some do.  Here's a list of all
 statuses I know the existence of:

   Confusion    -- Your character becomes uncontrollable, and randomly
                   attacks friends or foes--physical attacks only.
                   This is noted by a question mark, can be cured by
                   using a Shriek (item), a hit, or after battle.
   Death        -- This happens when your HP-meter is zero.  You can't
                   do anything, and your IP-meter is reset.  This can
                   be cured by using a Regain (item), Rally (spell) and
                   via many other things.  Doesn't vanish after battle.
   Paralysis    -- You can't do anything!  Cure using a Mystery Pin, or
                   the spell Release.  Automatically gone after battle.
   Poison       -- This is annoying in the beginning of the game, but
                   harmless later.  Your character will lose HP every
                   round, but can still attack.  A skull appears near
                   the character's head, indicating this.  Heal using
                   an Antidote or the spell Poison.
   Silence      -- Characters can't use magic.  There's a balloon with
                   a dash inside above the character's head.  This
                   cannot be cured, as far as I know, but does
                   disappear by completing a battle.
   Sleep        -- This is almost the same as Paralysis, except that a
                   good hit wakes you up.  Can also be cured using an
                   Awake or by casting the spell Waken.


========================================================================
PART 2:  WALKTHROUGH
========================================================================

 A few notes before we start...

  * You have to do the things listed in the FAQ in the order that they
    are listed!  If you, for example, don't talk to this person (which
    triggers an event), you can't enter that dungeon, or a boss there
    won't appear.

  * I've used some ASCII-drawings to explain a couple of the harder
    puzzles in the game.  For them to line up correctly, you need to
    view this document in a monospaced font, e.g. Courier New.  If you
    look at it in anything else, my FAQ looks like utter crap.

  * At the beginning of each chapter, I recommend which level you
    should be (usually a range).  It's based on the level of the
    enemies you'll encounter in that chapter, meaning that the lowest
    level applies to the first monsters, and the highest number means
    you should be on that level for the later enemies (e.g. boss).
    Sometimes though, the levels are off, so don't depend on them TOO
    much.

  * And finally, by reading further, you agree that you shall *not*
    send me e-mails consisting of roughly 3/4 of any abusive words-
    dictionary because I have ruined your gaming experience.
    Obviously, this is a walkthrough full of SPOILERS.  I have not made
    an effort in excluding every plot-revealing bit of text--something
    happens, I tell you what.  Remember that a solution to a problem is
    a spoiler as well; always try by yourself before you resort this or
    other guides.  Just don't read more than what you need and you'll
    be fine.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-A:  How to Kick Monster Butt
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 It's a beautiful day in Elcid.  Recently, though, a mysterious ball of
 light landed near the town...  Nothing is known about this force,
 except that... it's... a mysterious ball of light.  Is it an asteroid?
 Is it Guybrush Threepwood?  Is it a sign of upcoming doom, or should
 we welcome it?

   Items:     Reset; Life Potion, Escape, Antidote, Power Potion,
              Magic Jar, Hide Armor, Door Key

   Monsters:  Red Jelly, Lizard, Moth, Spider, Bat, Mushroom,
              Lizard Man

   Recommended Level:  1-4


 ELCID ----------------------------------------------------------------

 Start the game, watch the intro if you wish, and select the game you
 want to continue.  If there are no games, then you can select a new
 game ("Start").  There's also a "Retry" and "Gift" mode, but those
 cannot be accessed until later.  Select Start (or Retry), enter your
 name (default: "Maxim"), and press the Start-button to continue.

 The game starts in Elcid, Maxim's home.  You'll enter Tia's shop, and
 trade the monsters you've caught for 120G.  After you've acquired your
 cash, you'll gain control over your character; you can talk to Tia to
 shop (it might be wise to buy a couple of Boomerangs), or head
 outside.  Now, there are several points of interest in Elcid.  There's
 a Church (north), where you can save, cure negative status effects or
 lift curses.  There's also an old, wise man inside the Church, who can
 teach you some things about the game (why is it _always_ an old, wise
 man?).  The Magic Shop is left of the Church, and the Inn can be found
 in the lower-left corner of the town (you can sleep for free there).

 Anyway, now you can leave the village.  Upon doing so, the old man
 with a lot of knowledge (*another* wise, old man!  Seems like EVERY
 video game has one) near the Inn stops you, and he'll tell you he's
 going to teach you his secret techniques!  And that he's waiting in
 the dungeon south--in other words: a tutorial.  You can't skip it, and
 it's quite annoying if you know the game basics already.  But oh well.


 SECRET SKILLS CAVE ---------------------------------------------------

 The first lesson is to recognize enemies' moves.  You'll learn that
 you'll only fight them if you touch them (i.e. if an enemy is in one
 of the eight squares surrounding you).  Also, monsters only move when
 you do.  Fight the Red Jelly, and go into the door to proceed.  Lesson
 number two is about skills.  If you press Select, you'll bring up the
 Skill Ring!  As of now, you can only use Arrows, but you'll gain more
 handy things later.  Shooting an enemy with an Arrow will stun it for
 a little while (touching it won't lead into a fight).

 In the next room, the man will tell you that skills can also be used
 for other purposes, e.g. hitting a switch you can't reach.  As a
 matter of fact, you'll have to do that to continue, so, well, do so.
 Lesson number four features a switch and a pillar.  Do as the man
 says, and he'll eventually give you Reset, a spell that resets the
 room to its original form--monsters are placed back to their initial
 spots (even if you've kicked their sorry butts), and only treasure
 chests take exception.  If you've acquired an item out of a chest, it
 won't return (unfortunately).  The Reset-spell can also be found in
 the Skill Ring.

 In the next areas, you'll learn that you can jump off cliffs if you
 can see arrows there.  Also, if you can't continue, the man suggests
 fighting (and defeating) all enemies, and a door might open!  Lesson 7
 is about grass: you can cut it away by swinging with your sword (B-
 button).  Do so, and you'll find a switch!  Pretty obvious where it
 is, heh.  Lastly, you'll have to move some pots (and the R-button-
 technique is introduced here), first place one on the left platform,
 then the other pot on the right.  Finished!

 Now, head back to Elcid.  Go to Tia's house, and you'll be invited to
 stay over for dinner!  When you're done, head outside.  A messenger
 then comes in, and reports that there are monsters in the Cave to
 Sundletan!  Hmmm...  a great chance to show 'em your true fighting
 skills, now!  Let's see what's really going on there.  Or, get some
 cash and buy new equipment, though that is not REALLY needed.


 CAVE TO SUNDLETAN ----------------------------------------------------

 Cut away the grass and talk to the man; he'll now let you in, and also
 notes that a young--different--woman entered it already, but don't
 mind that now.  Enter.  After you cross the bridge, take a right and
 go through the door north of you for items!  First solve the "puzzle",
 by placing a pot two squares below the switch, then place the other
 pot on that switch, then place the first pot on the switch on the
 left.  Go through the just-opened door for a Life Potion, and visit
 the room to the right to additionally find an Escape, an item that
 functions like Secret of Mana's Magic Rope.

 Now go back to the previous room and cut away the bush to uncover a
 switch!  Step on it, and then go down.  As you can see on the left,
 there is a chest there... but how do you get there?  Simple!  Mow the
 grass and go to the left to discover you can walk through the wall.
 Open the chest for an Antidote.  Then proceed, kill any Mushrooms, and
 go through the door.

 There's a pot and a bush there, uncover a switch first and place the
 pot on it.  Enter the just-opened room, and move blocks around in such
 a way as to make a path to the stairs (you'll have to fight at least
 two enemies).  In the next area, watch out for the Bats flying around,
 and go to the lower-left corner to find a Power Potion.  Make for the
 right, and hit the switch!  It opens up a bridge.  Jump down (there
 are arrows there), and cross it!

 Now, you can either continue by stepping into the stair set, or find
 some items by going through a hidden passageway.  See that little
 inlet over there?  Explore the left wall to find out that you can go
 through the wall there.  Follow the path to wind up in a place with a
 Magic Jar, a Hide Armor and an already-opened chest.  Backtrack to the
 stair set and enter it.  Here are recovery pods and a save point!  Be
 sure to use them, and then go straight ahead to find someone who
 somehow knows already what Maxim is going to ask!  It results in a
 boss fight, tho'.

 Boss Strategy -- Lizard Man:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            80      0      32     28     100      125     --

   Just like in every other game you can imagine, the first boss is
   easy.  If you have no Boomerangs and didn't really take the time to
   level up (e.g. about level 2), then it goes like this: attack, use a
   Potion, repeat.  If you have no Potions (or the Strong-spell)
   either, it goes like this: attack, attack, you die.  But of course,
   if you still have those Boomerangs, just throw a couple of them to
   him while healing when needed, and that's all.


 A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN ---------------------------------------------------

 After the Lizard Man's defeat, you'll receive the key to the door!
 Then, Maxim wonders why this would happen, and this weird woman the
 guy at the entrance spoke of appears.  She seems to be able to see the
 future, and this would be a summary of what she says: "You are the
 destined hero and you must defeat the evil that threatens this world."
 Of course, that's a goal we find in everyday game, but hey--whatever.
 Her name is Iris, by the way, and you will meet her more in the
 future.

 Then she leaves!  Head back, save and recover.  You can use the Escape
 you found earlier, if you want, or just walk back (I'm sure you know
 the way...).  Either way, don't go back to Elcid but go through the
 first door we ignored, near the first bridge, y'know?  Use the Door
 Key, and we're out.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-B:  Earthquake!  Take Cover!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Sundletan is a peaceful place but plagued by earthquakes...  Although
 the people aren't surprised when one occurs, it's still not a good
 thing.  Rumors are that some fat catfish is responsible...

   Items:     Insect Crush, Power Potion, Miracle, Speedy Ring,
              Lake Key

   Monsters:  Red Jelly, Blue Jelly, Mosquito, Beetle, Baby Frog,
              Eagle, Mushroom, Spider, Big Catfish

   Recommended Level:  5-8


 EARTHQUAKES IN SUNDLETAN? --------------------------------------------

 Right when you enter Sundletan, an earthquake occurs!  Though it's not
 a really destructive one (as you can see, nobody in this village is
 really worried), you should talk to the people to become aware that it
 is rumored that a catfish is responsible for them...  But that later!
 There are a several points of interest here: to the left are a Magic
 Shop and Church, and to the right you can find an Inn (10G) and
 Item/Weapon/Armor Shop.  Buy Boomerangs if you need to, and a Dagger
 would be nice too.

 Besides the things I've mentioned above, there's this fellow in the
 Inn who tells you about Capsule Monsters (weird script bug too), an
 old man in the big house north who goes to sleep, and this grandpa who
 tells everyone about a catfish being responsible.  Besides this, you
 can also find a Café.  Nothing more, really, so let's head for the
 Lake Cave north, to see if this catfish story is true.


 THE LAKE CAVE --------------------------------------------------------

 First, use the Arrow to hit the lever on the left, and then throw the
 crates to make a bridge, and enter the next room.  From there, you can
 either go left or up, and up is the way to go first.  In this area are
 three enemies: a Baby Frog, a Beetle, and an Eagle.  Dispose all three
 of them, and remember the order in which you've defeated them.  When
 you're done, the three will appear behind the spikes; hit them with
 arrows in the right order, and the door to the right will open!  Also,
 there are two recovery pods just below, at the far side.  Now go
 through the door, follow the path and you shall find the Insect Crush;
 a spiffy weapon you will want to equip!

 Now backtrack to the start (the room with the Blue Jelly) and take a
 left.  The note says, "Be brave and dive in, and you will find the
 way."  If you go to the left, you see five weak spots you can fall
 through.  The one you should have is the one in the lower-left corner
 (if you hit the wrong one you can return).  You'll fall on some kind
 of platform, and the impact you made opened the right door!  The left
 door leads to a save point, be sure to visit that one.

 That door to the right leads to the final area of the dungeon, but
 you'll need a key to continue from there!  Let's find that first.  In
 this room you're in, there are two other doors, first go through the
 one at the bottom of the screen to find a Power Potion (and an Eagle
 monster, watch out).  Go back and take the door to the right.

 Here are two pillars and three switches, although you don't see the
 switches at first (because of the pillars).  Move the pillar on the
 right to the left to open the door below, or push the lower pillar one
 space up for the right door to open.  Do the latter first, and enter
 the door.  Here is a room with a short passageway infested with many
 monsters, and to the right is a bunch of grass.  Mow the lane until
 you reach the far side, then go to the left to find a secret passage
 leading you to a chest with a Miracle!  Go back to the door and go
 inside...  Inside are lots of groups of enemies, consisting of
 Beetles, Eagles, Mushrooms, and Spiders.  A great place to level up,
 and at the end you'll find a Speedy Ring.

 Backtrack to the pillars and take the lower path.  Here are four
 blocks you can move, of which one (the lower-right one) contains the
 steps you want.  On floor B3, there's an arrow pointing down, move the
 blocks in such a way that it points up.  Simple--like shootin' a fish
 in a barrel.  The door opens, and you will find... the Lake Key!
 Great, now you can visit the boss here...  Is it the catfish the old
 man spoke about?

 Go back to the area with the door you've opened by jumping on a
 platform from high above.  First take the left door to a save point,
 then the right one leading to a huge room with lots of water.  You can
 see a part of a ladder right there, correct?  Use all four crates to
 make a path that ends up one space right of it.  Hit the switch so the
 water goes down, and you can pick up a crate again to continue!
 Proceed, use the Lake Key, and near the waterfall to find the Big
 Catfish...  He created the earthquakes for fun and seems to think
 you're weak; well, prove him wrong!

 Boss Strategy -- Big Catfish:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            200     50     45     10     500      500     Catfish Jwl.

   The Catfish uses mostly physical attacks, and sometimes Flash and
   Mega Quake too.  You'll want to avoid regular physical attacks as
   much as possible, and use Boomerangs or IP-attacks instead.  Just
   know what his amount of HP is (200), and how much damage your
   attacks do.  This way you'll know when the final blow is so you
   don't have to heal that round.  (There's a small change you will get
   the Catfish Jwl. as your reward, although you'll probably not get
   it.)

 After you teach him a lesson, he decides to surrender and goes back in
 the lake to sleep.  Back to Sundletan to tell the folks the good news!


 WHO FOLLOWED YOU? ----------------------------------------------------

 In Sundletan, talk to the first man you spot.  He'll say that a young
 woman was looking for you so headed for the Lake Cave too.  Is it
 Iris?  Nah, the man said she was "...quite a beauty."  Regardless, let
 Maxim drag his hiney back to the cave.

 Make for the place with the three monsters you had to hit in order,
 and you'll find Tia, surrounded by two monsters!  Of course, Maxim
 comes for the rescue and fights the two (Goblin and Skeleton).  After
 you beat them, she'll decide to join you and runs off, just to get
 attacked by another Goblin!  After you dispatch it, Tia joins, though
 you can guess she means trouble...

 Back in Sundletan, get Tia a Whip, and it won't hurt to level her up
 either.  Anyway, the people in Sundletan tell you all about Alunze
 Kingdom, so let's see what's up there.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-C:  The Crown
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 After clearing the Lake Cave and stopping the earthquakes that made
 Sundletan miserable, Tia joined!  Our next stop is the kingdom of
 Alunze.  There's a beautiful crown and a ceremony involving it, but of
 course, there are people willing to get their greasy mitts on it...

   Items:     Bomb, Headband, Escape, Coat, Dragon Egg, Secret Fruit,
              Miracle, Light Knife, Crown; 500G-3000G

   Monsters:  Sentopez, Mad Horse, Baby Frog, Mosquito, Bat, Big Bat,
              Cobalt, Buffalo, Eagle, Needle Lizard

   Recommended Level:  8-11


 THE MISADVENTURES OF BERTY AND BART ----------------------------------

 To go to Alunze, search for the Shrine to Alunze Kingdom somewhere
 northwest on the world map, and follow the path until you reach a
 village and castle.  Alternatively...

 Capsule Monster -- "Foomy":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   As soon as you leave the shrine, go left and DOWN, to find the Foomy
   Woods!  Talk to the woman in front of the pond, tell her you are the
   man, and she'll let you go through.  Now stand in front of the pond
   (hey, that rhymes!), and a weird creature appears.  It seems to like
   you, and joins!  You can name him/her/it (default: "JELZE", though
   I'd prefer "Jelze", but for all we know you name him "Scum"), then
   leave to Alunze.

 In the village of Alunze Kingdom, you can find an Inn (20G a night),
 an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, and lots of people that tell you about the
 crown, the coronation, and a few other things.  You can get new
 equipment here (though you might want to keep Tia's Frock for its IP-
 ability.  There's also a Casino upstairs in the Inn, but it's not
 really worth the time and money.  When you're finished, enter the
 castle.

 Go to the throne room (just hold the Up-button), and two people will
 come in to say that the crown is an imitation!  Just as they leave to
 examine it, a man will stop them and discovers they're the thieves
 Berty and Bart...  A bomb in combination with their clumsiness results
 in confusion, and the weirdoes take advantage of that to escape with
 the crown!  Let's follow 'em and bring back the crown.


 ALUNZE CASTLE BASEMENT -----------------------------------------------

 They've escaped into the basement; to go there, enter the door east on
 the balcony.  After you help up the guard there, proceed to arrive in
 Alunze Castle B2.  Here's another guard, but he fell asleep, so that
 doesn't really help you further...  Go through the door, then through
 another, and put the pot on the switch.  There's also a Mad Horse
 here, be careful not to get attacked in the back.

 In the next area are two blocks, and two platforms you'll need to
 place them on.  To do that, move any block one space down and the
 other one on the platform, The passage will widen, so you can move the
 other block to the other platform.  Not too hard, eh?  Continue
 through the door, follow the path, fry the Mad Horse, and then witness
 a blue chest...  You too, shall soon love the sight of a blue chest...
 But that's later.  Claim the Bomb inside (skill), then read the note.
 Head back to the room with the four pillars.

 Press Select to bring up the Skill Ring, and select the Bomb.  Go to
 the right to find a weak wall there, place a Bomb next to it and
 enter.  You're in a large room with a pot in the middle and a switch a
 couple of spaces below it.  Place the pot on the switch (if you
 weren't able to figure that out yourself, I am worried...) and two
 things become accessible: the stairway below and a chest with a
 Headband (on the right)!  There's also another chest here, but it's
 unreachable for now.  After you've gotten the Headband and equipped it
 on Tia, descend to reach B3.

 There are two ways to go now; go through the door first, toast the
 enemy there and continue to find recovery pods and a save point!
 After you've done that, go back and bomb the weak wall.  Cross the
 bridge and dispose the enemies if you wish, and go through the door.
 There's a pot, two switches and two doors here; I'm sure you can take
 it from there...  First go through the northern door to find an
 Escape, then put the pot on the other switch.  Enter a long room, push
 the block away and bomb the weak wall behind it.  Ah... puzzle time!

 There is a couple of colored blocks, and once they're all gone, you
 can continue.  If three or more blocks of the same color align, they
 disappear.  Remember: there are FIVE (not six) purples and reds, so
 you can't align three of them, i.e. make a long I-shape, a T-shape or
 an L-shape.  If you're stuck, use this way:

   Key:             Start:           Step 1:          Step 2:
   ¯¯¯¯             ¯¯¯¯¯¯           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯          ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   o = Yellow                                               o
   x = Red                x   o            x   o          x o
   + = Blue           o x o + +        o x o + +          x o + +
                      o o + x x      o o o + x x            + x x
                        x +   +          x +   +          x +   +
                        o

   Step 3:          Step 4:          Step 5:          Step 6:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯          ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯          ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯          ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

       x            x                x                      x
       x   + +      x       + +      x   +   + +            x
         + x x            + x x            + x x            x x x
       x +   +            +   +            +
                      x                x

 I hope that looks comprehendible.  If you think that the use of those
 ASCII-characters makes the end product look like crap, there's a
 simple solution: the more you drink, the better it will look.  It
 works!  (Parental guidance advised.)

 If you screw up, use Reset.  When you've solved this puzzle, go
 through the door and find a Coat, then continue.  Defeat the Buffalo
 here, and push the left block down and the right one to the right.  Go
 down the stairs and you'll arrive in a room I call the "Teleport
 Room".  It's simple, really; step into the warp and you'll be warped
 to a place depending on which switch the pot is on.  If the pot is on
 no switch, you will get teleported nowhere--fun!  FIRST, go all the
 way to the left through the narrow passage, and push the block to the
 left.

   NW -- (NW standing for "northwest", meaning you've placed the pot on
         the upper-left switch.)  First get rid the Buffalo.  Left is a
         chest, blocked by water, and to the right is a crate.
         Problem: if you pick up the crate then the water disappears,
         but the spikes won't let you leave!  Solution: place a Bomb
         next to the crate, which detonates after six steps.  In the
         chest is... a Dragon Egg!  Go through the door and push the
         block all the way down.
   NE -- A strange room...  Go 1 up, 2 left, 2 up, 2 left, 2 up, 2
         right, 2 up, 1 right to reach a chest with Secret Fruit!  Now
         return to the warp, but re-enter it.  This time go down first,
         so you can walk around the maze.  At the end is a weak wall
         that you can BOOM, leading to a Miracle!  Sweet.
   SW -- (This is not for items, but to continue.  Do the other three
         if you haven't done them before.)  You must defeat all three
         monsters (Cobalts) to continue.
   SE -- There's a Mad Horse you need to defeat, but a wall is between
         you and when you walk, the horse walks in the opposite
         direction.  The simple way is to immediately press Down twice:
         this will block the horse in the small inlet.  Kill the Mad
         Horse and claim the Light Knife!  Return.

 Leave the room, fight/ignore the enemies and go down the stairs, and
 you'll arrive on B5.  The note on the wall says, "The underground
 waterway lies ahead.  No trespassing!"  Continue, and you'll see Berty
 and Bart, and the crown!  You are something they call "trapped", and
 they escape using the waterway.  Now, step on the switch below, go up
 the stairs and continue.  You'll eventually not find the weirdoes, but
 it appears that they left the crown!  Take it with you and head back
 to the King (you can/should use an Escape-item).


 YOUR REWARD! ---------------------------------------------------------

 Okay, now you have the crown, you can't leave the castle for obvious
 reasons.  In the throne room, talk to the King and he'll reward you!
 You can choose one of the four options listed below, and my loyal
 apprentice, I've also listed down what you'll actually receive!
 Ahem...

   Money        -- 2000G
   Princess     -- 500G
   King         -- 1000G
   Nothing      -- 3000G

 Obviously, the best choice here is nothing, as the King then admires
 your generosity!  That makes you a big liar however, so if you REALLY
 want to be generous, choose a hot night with the princess.  However,
 the word "generous" does not apply when you do so.  So, your answer to
 this dilemma?  Take what you want and shut up about it.  Now, let's go
 to Tanbel, of which the shrine to it can be found north of Alunze.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-D:  The Treasure Hunter
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Oh, the door's locked!  If you talk to the people you'll discover that
 this kid named "Abel" toyed with the key and has gone to a cave... and
 without permission that is!  So let's head over to the Alunze
 Northwest Cave (that's left of the shrine) and spank Abel's naughty
 ass, and get the key.

   Items:     Hi-Potion, Horse Rock, Light Armor, Brave, Miracle,
              Jet Helm, Hi-Potion, Hi-Magic, Power Brace, Witch Ring,
              Miracle, Shrine Key

   Monsters:  Bat, Big Bat, Red Bat, Moth, Mega Moth, Lizard,
              Needle Lizard, Sentopez, Cobalt, Small Crab, Regal Goblin

   Recommended Level:  8-13


 ALUNZE NORTHWEST CAVE ------------------------------------------------

 Inside the cave, you'll find Abel.  Talk to him; he seems a bit
 hesitant about the key, but Tia comes for the rescue and talks to him
 the "woman" way.  You'll then discover that he threw the key to a
 monster!  Maxim, being angry as hell, wants to damn throw Abel to that
 monster too, but... he doesn't.  Abel heads back to the shrine, after
 having promised he'll be a good boy... yadda yadda...

 Descend down the stairs, then up the other one.  Pick up a tile and
 drop it in a gap to form a bridge; there's a gap near you and one all
 the way north.  Jump down the arrows and flip the lever, then open the
 chest for a Hi-Potion!  You could also get it by using an Arrow from
 behind, but this would be the "official" way, I suppose.  Anyway,
 there are two ways you can go now; through the upper door or the one
 to the right.  They both lead to the same place--I recommend taking
 the one to the right to get extra items.

 In the next room, there are two pots and two enemies.  Back then, when
 I played this for the first time, I thought I had to place the pots on
 the switches and wait until an enemy steps on the third one so you
 could continue... very annoying.  However, there's a THIRD pot behind
 the pillar to the right!  Use it and continue.  Oh, there's also an
 area below, but it's inaccessible for now.

 Go straight ahead, while fighting the Needle Lizards and all, and
 you'll end up in a dead-end.  Or is it?  There's a weak spot there,
 step into it and you'll fall down.  Push the first block out of the
 way, then move the second one a space up but be sure to pull it back
 to the switch.  The door will open, so you can continue and get a
 Horse Rock from the chest!  Then move the blocks out of your way and
 enter the first door you see.  If you walk around, you'll notice that
 if you step on this certain space, a staircase appears!  Place the pot
 on it ("it" is three spaces to the left and one down, starting from
 the pot) to let it stay there.

 Continue.  Head left, and when you reach the middle of the room (the
 wall below is odd there), go down to go through a hidden passage.
 Enter the stair set to find a Light Armor!  Now proceed, and you'll
 eventually arrive in a big room with lots o' enemies, which is the
 place you'd reach if you would've gone through the upper door at the
 beginning, remember?  Anyway, since the stairs take you back to the
 start, head south to continue.

 In the next room, ignore the stairway and go through the door.  You
 will find recovery pods!  After using them, go up, cutting away the
 vines first, to find chests with a Brave and a Miracle!  Return and go
 to the right, and enter the stair set you've uncovered.

 Go to the upper-right part.  Here's a group of bushes, of which the
 one at the far side has a switch under it.  The problem here is that
 the grass grows after you do three steps.  Well, use your bombs in
 such a way you can move the block onto the switch, and you'll be
 fine...  Great opportunity to use some Fire Arrows here... but... you
 don't have Fire Arrows... so... never mind.  A stairway appears in
 front of you, though it's on the lower level.

 Make for the left.  Here's a lever, and if you switch it, the ground
 behind you disappears.  Stand on that ground and hit the lever using
 an Arrow so you fall down.  If you screw up, you'll need to use Reset
 or go back and use the stairs we ignored earlier.  Either way, go all
 the way to the right, go up the stairs you've made, and get a Jet
 Helm!  This thing is supposed to make you faster, but I'm wondering
 how on Earth a helmet would be capable of doing that.

 Head back to the left to find two pillars.  Use them to form a bridge
 and cross it.  Continue until you find three chests and open them (Hi-
 Potion, Hi-Magic, Power Brace).  You'll have to defeat a couple
 enemies after that, though.  Now go back, and push the other pillars
 over the bridge, then to the far side on the right into the water.
 Walk over them and "through" the wall to find a Witch Ring!  Equip it
 on Tia... because she's a witch... and go into the nearest stair set.

 Three ways to go now: straight, left or right.  If you go up, you'll
 only find out that the bridge is not functional, so go left or right
 first.  I'll go left, though it doesn't really matter.  As soon as you
 enter, go to the left, under the bridge, through the wall; you'll find
 a Miracle in the end!  Then continue, 'til you reach a room with water
 and step onto the switch.  Return and do the same for the right path,
 although there's no secret path to a chest there.

 Leave and go into the door above the steps.  The bridge is okay now.
 Use the recovery pods and save!  Also, don't forget to equip things if
 you need to.  Nuke the wall at the end, and you'll find a Regal Goblin
 guarding a blue chest.  He's not really friendly, and of course: a
 boss fight!

 Boss Strategy -- Regal Goblin:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            500     120    80     60     1800     500     --

   The Regal Goblin itself isn't a real threat; the annoying thing here
   is that he occasionally calls companions (Goblin, 75 HP, Goblin
   Mage, 60 HP, each worth 1 experience point and 1G, whee!).  It's not
   annoying in such a way that they're a major threat to your team,
   they're just... annoying.  Maxim should only attack using IPs
   whenever possible and regular attacks, only on the Regal Goblin.
   Tia should backup by healing, or use Spark (and Boomerangs are
   effective too!).  When there are too many helpers, have Maxim lend a
   hand.

 Not a terribly hard battle...  After you win, recover the Shrine Key,
 go back and heal and save, then return to the shrine.

 So, mingle with the folks here and open the door.  You'll learn that
 the woman's name is Hilda, and that she runs an Inn in Tanbel.  Well
 there isn't much more to do here in Alunze, so let's head to Tanbel
 too!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-E:  Hilda Kidnapped!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 After helping Hilda by recovering the Shrine Key, she offered you to
 visit the Inn she runs in Tanbel.  In Tanbel, you'll also meet a
 skilled swordsman named Guy.

   Items:     Sky Key, Jute Helmet, Fire Dagger, Camu Armor,
              Pearl Brace

   Monsters:  Follower, Scorpion, Needle Lizard, Poison Lizard, Newt,
              Small Crab, Big Crab, Skeleton, Goblin, Imp, Camu

   Recommended Level:  10-15


 TANBEL ---------------------------------------------------------------

 Just as you enter the town, you can see Hilda standing right in front
 of you.  Talk to her, and a fellow named Guy appears!  After the
 introduction and all, Hilda leaves to make some dinner for you, and
 Guy goes off for some training (he's just walking around aimlessly;
 some training, eh?).  You can go to the Inn to stay over (free), or
 join Guy.  There's also a Church and all shops.  When finished, go to
 Guy, who's on the square, north in the town.


 CAMU APPEARS ---------------------------------------------------------

 Now, talk to him for a match, and RIGHT before it starts to get
 interesting, a messenger comes in spoiling the fun.  He says that
 monsters are here, though, and this dude "Camu", along with two
 followers, appear.  Before you know it, a fight starts with the two
 flunkies (150 HP each).  While fighting them, be sure to switch Tia
 and Guy so Guy is in the front row, and the battle should be a piece
 of cake!

 When you're finished, Camu escapes, and a kid storms in saying that
 someone took Hilda away!  He notes that they went to the Southeast
 Tower, and then Guy joins your party!  Now, let's find this scumbag
 and get back Hilda, or else you'll miss dinner.  Before you go, go to
 the menu screen and switch Tia with Guy, and go to the Weapon Shop to
 buy two Kukris, for Maxim and Guy.  Also sleep at the Inn if you need
 to (talk to grandma upstairs).


 TANBEL SOUTHEAST TOWER -----------------------------------------------

 Go to the Tanbel Southeast Tower, which is... surprise, surprise,
 southeast of Tanbel!  Inside, you can go left or straight, and left is
 the path you want (the other is blocked now).  Step on the tile in the
 middle and four switches appear.  Push the three available blocks on
 the left, lower and right switch, then go down to find a pot (with a
 Scorpion).  Use this pot on the last switch and continue to the next
 room.

 Watch out for the Scorpion (its movement) and go up the stairs.  Go on
 and you'll eventually find a Goblin on a carpet.  Kill it (not the
 moving one) from behind, and step on the switch to open the door
 below.  Go outside, to the right, and inside.  There's a pillar here;
 move it to the left to open up both passages.  Onward.

 On 4F, go through the door to the right.  Once you near a carpet with
 a switch in the middle, defeat the Big Crab first, then walk to the
 switch but don't hit the golden border.  If you do hit it, go back to
 the white tiles and step on them.  Continue, until you find a switch
 on the outside of the tower; flip it and a corridor above comes down!
 Go back to the room with two doors and take the door to the left now.

 Here's an annoying puzzle, annoying because it takes up so much time
 if you come here a lot more...  Get the pillar on the odd tile and
 surround it with the pots.  Move on and don't go up the stairs but go
 down.  Here's a pile of bones, bomb them away and step on the switch
 (if you return here you don't need to do the bomb thing, even though
 you can still see the bones covering the switch).  Go outside, down,
 and inside.

 Strange room, this...  If you step on the musical notes, you'll hear a
 sound.  Make the same sound, starting with the lowermost one (a sword
 slash, an Arrow, then a Bomb).  If done correctly, the door opens, and
 you can get the Sky Key inside!  Return and go up the steps you've
 ignored previously.

 Healing tiles and a save point!  Make use of them, go outside, and
 cross that bridge you've made earlier.  Inside the next area, there's
 a hint tile on the right that says, "When the date changes in the back
 room, something happens."  I think "date" should be replaced with
 "time" here, though.  Anyway, proceed to the next room to find a...
 something that looks like a clock!  The pillar is the long pointer;
 the block would be the short one.  Make the time 9:00 (the long pillar
 to the platform above, the block to the left), as stated on the hint
 tile to the left, and the door opens!  Hit the switch.

 Wait, we're not done...  Set the time to 12:00 (pillar on the upper
 tile, block one space below it), and a door appears.  Go inside the
 secret area to find a Jute Helmet!  Equip it, and then go back
 outside.  Climb the ladder, and you'll appear on top of the tower!  Go
 inside, and use the Sky Key to arrive in Camu's place.  Talk to Camu,
 and a fight starts...

 Boss Strategy -- Camu:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1500    320    140    70     3000     5000    Camu Jewel

   Just like an earlier boss, Camu calls for help occasionally.
   Besides this, his "Buster Attack" is also a threat.  Tia shouldn't
   (mustn't) fight here, of course, so let her heal!  Maxim and Guy's
   Kukri's IP "Thunder Blast" is a good thing to use.  Also, since Guy
   is the strongest character here, you don't need to heal him every
   round.  The Slaves are no real threat, you can ignore them.  If
   you're low on health, then get rid of them first.  Being the hardest
   boss yet, you might need a few tries before you actually defeat him.
   Each Slave has 150 HP, drops 100 experience points and 250G--and if
   you're a very lucky man, Camu drops a Camu Jewel when you kick his
   sorry butt.

 After the fight, he utters some lines about Sinistrals ruling the
 world and all...  He then disappears, and the doors below close!  Just
 in time, Iris appears, and helps you by warping you to Tanbel...  Gone
 is what she is after that, and you'll be taken to the Inn.  There,
 there's a conversation about Guy leaving and your next move and all...
 But the important thing is that Sir Guy joins!  Sleep here and
 continue.


 OPTIONAL / RANDOM BITS 'N PIECES -------------------------------------

 Remember those chests behind Camu?  Well unfortunately, you couldn't
 open 'em back then.  So, let's do so now!  For some odd reason, the
 quakes (or something?) didn't affect the tower at all.  Anyway, work
 your way to the top of the thing (remember you need to flip those
 switches again, for a bridge and ladder to appear!).  Though it might
 have taken a while, it's worth it!  You shall find... a Fire Dagger
 (HUZZAH!), Camu Armor (HUZZAH!), and a Pearl Brace (HUZZAH!)!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-F:  The Ruby Apple
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Clamento is a small village without anything special, except for a
 rich man who owns all.  Willing to get his hands on everything that
 looks beautiful in some way or another, he requests Maxim to do him a
 favor.  Also in this town lives a fellow named Jaffy, who blows glass
 and other jewelry.

   Items:     Flame Fruit, Fury Helmet, Aqua Whip, Ruby Key,
              Ruby Apple; Ear Jewel

   Monsters:  Web Spider, Big Bee, Poison Beetle, Goblin, Armor Goblin,
              Skeleton, Bat, Big Bat, Red Bat, Tarantula

   Recommended Level:  15-17


 CLAMENTO -------------------------------------------------------------

 To pass the tower, take the door in the middle from the entrance.  The
 village Clamento is just ahead.

 Hmmm...  You can find an Inn (20G), an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, and a
 Magic Shop, and a VERY BIG house...  Enter it!  Talk to Rochy, the
 richest man in this village, and he'll ask you to find a Ruby Apple,
 which is a legendary, uh... apple made of ruby, and would be in the
 North Cave.  You'll also hear that this glass shop isn't faring well
 these days, but that's later.  Let's head out to the Ruby Cave and see
 if there really is a Ruby Apple.


 RUBY CAVE ------------------------------------------------------------

 Inside, go straight ahead.  You can go to the left or to the right
 there; the left path is to continue, and the right one is to find a
 new Capsule Monster!  So, I suggest taking the right path first.  Skip
 the next clutter of text and read on (though I think nobody does that
 anyway)...

 Capsule Monster -- "Armor Dog":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   So go to the right.  Here is a stair set and a weak wall.  Bomb the
   wall and go inside.  Follow the path until you reach four switches;
   the hint tile says you need to whack them all to the right, but
   they're connected with each other in some way!  To be exact: if you
   switch one of them, the switch left/right and the one above/under it
   turns too.  Simple!  Just switch ALL of them ONCE, in any order.
   Easy, eh?  Bomb the wall, step onto the warp, then move on to claim
   the Capsule Monster "Armor Dog" (default: "BLAZE", or "Blaze")!  If
   you didn't do the switch-thing earlier then lava would be blocking
   your way.

 Er, let's see... left through the door or down the steps?  It doesn't
 really matter.  If you go left, cut away the bushes to find a switch,
 use it, go through the door, arrive in a seemingly dead-end, use your
 awesome Lufia II skills to uncover a stair set, and use it to enter a
 room.  Or descend the steps on the right, follow the passage, and
 arrive in same room but then on the other side...  Either way, grab
 the bridge segment (and kill the enemy if you wish) and place it on
 where it belongs.

 Two stair sets here, go down the right one.  The hint tile there says,
 "Throw the blue blocks into the lava."  What does that mean?  Well,
 upon doing so, the block (of ice?) will harden the lava as well as the
 eight spaces surrounding it (if they're lava, of course), so you can
 walk over them!  You can go to the left, to the right, and down.  Left
 leads to a chest with a Flame Fruit, right leads to a ladder, and down
 to some items.  The lower path requires some effort, though, but I'm
 sure you can handle it...  Use Reset if you screw up.  Your reward is
 worth it: a Fury Helmet and an Aqua Whip!

 Go back to the ladder and go up (on the platform where the steps are).
 To the left is a switch, hit it with an Arrow.  Then go back to where
 the two stair sets are and take the left one.  Work your way through
 the place, and cut the vines on the wall at the end.  You'll find the
 Ruby Key!  Good...  Now go back to the place with the lava and blocks
 and all, and use a block to access the steps on the right side.  And
 enter it.


 THE TRUTH OF THE RUBY APPLE ------------------------------------------

 Cross the bridge, walk on, and cut the vines off the wall.  A hidden
 room!  Healing tiles are here, and a save point.  Use 'em, and check
 up on equipment and all.  I'd suggest equipping the Insect Crush on
 either Maxim or Guy.  Now proceed, and you'll eventually find the Ruby
 Apple!  A spider then appears... it's a trap!

 Boss Strategy -- Tarantula:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            2000    320    150    120    4000     5000    Spido Jewel

   Without a sparkle of doubt, this is one of the toughest boss battles
   in this game.  Preparation and planning are the keywords for
   victory.  First off, let's see what the Tarantula can do: he can
   call friends (Web Spiders, 82 HP, 120 experience points, 182G), use
   attacks that cause Poison (not to worry), and he can cause
   Paralysis... ARGH!  Since each character is crucial in this battle,
   being paralyzed is nasty.  He also heals himself for 180 HP (but
   only when he gets severely weakened).

   On to the characters!  Maxim OR Guy is the attacker.  Being equipped
   with the Fire Dagger, he should only attack (IP-attack whenever
   possible).  I prefer to have Guy for this, as he's THE powerhouse.
   The other one (which would be Maxim, then), must either heal, use
   stat-up or stat-down spells, or attack when none is needed.  Tia is
   someone who can attack using Spark, or heal.  She can use Spark to
   (hopefully) kill the Web Spiders in one hit.  This whole paragraph
   contains only my recommendation, and works for me.

   Some useful spells are Spellstruck (lowers enemy's resistance to
   magic, IP of Jute Helmet), Lightbulb (use on Tia, ups magic power,
   IP of Pearl Brace) and Bravery (boosts defense).  If you happen to
   have Fire Charms from Alunze, use them!  For equipment, be sure to
   have things that up attack power, on the attacker.  And if you don't
   have the Fire Dagger, get it!  Good luck.  Oh, and if you're lucky,
   you might receive a Spido Jewel for winning... this doesn't occur
   often (more like rarely), though.

 After defeating the Tarantula, it seems that the Ruby Apple has broken
 during the battle... but hey, wasn't ruby a strong gem?  Strange...
 Go into the room in the back to find Jaffy.  He tells you about this
 Ruby Apple, how and why, and gives you his own apple.  With that, even
 though it's fake, let's head back to Rochy.


 OFF TO PARCELYTE! ----------------------------------------------------

 Enter the big house and talk to the man.  After you give him the Ruby
 Apple, he gives you a lot of money!  With that amount, Maxim heads off
 to Jaffy's place, and gives the money to him!  In return, you'll
 receive an Ear Jewel, which he then gives to Tia.  Now you have
 Rochy's permission to cross the shrine, let's go off to Parcelyte!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-G:  The Treasure Sword
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 In the kingdom of Parcelyte lives a strong woman named Selan.  Being
 the Commander of the Parcelyte army, she protects the villagers.
 Besides that, rumors say that there's a legendary Treasure Sword
 hidden somewhere in the vicinity...  Also, sometimes you might notice
 the world "Percelyte", that is with an "e" instead of "a".  I guess
 it's just a typo on the programmer's fault.

   Items:     Round Shield, Undead Ring, Cold Rapier, Anger Brace,
              Sword Key, Bat Rock, Mind Ring, Treas. Sword; Holy Wings

   Monsters:  Wood Gorem, Nuborg, Regal Goblin, Ork, Ghoul, Skeleton,
              Armor Goblin, Pierre, Daniele

   Recommended Level:  18


 PARCELYTE / PARCELYTE CASTLE -----------------------------------------

 Use the Small Shrine to Parcelyte to find the kingdom of Parcelyte.
 Like Alunze, there's a village and a castle.  Well, let's visit the
 village first, okay?  Okay.  You can't enter the castle right now
 anyway...

 Right when you enter, you'll see this little girl named Lemmy and two
 kids teasing her!  Just right before Maxim wants to whip out his sword
 to teach the bullies a lesson, a woman named Selan fortunately
 appears.  After she comforts Lemmy, she heads off to the castle.  Now,
 you can either explore the village and do the usual town stuff, or
 continue by visiting the castle.

 Upon entering the castle, you'll find the soldiers and Selan training.
 When they're done, go to the throne room and talk to the King.  He'll
 ask you to do a favor: check the temple north and get the Treasure
 Sword (hey that rhymes!)!  Should you accept, he'll get Selan here who
 joins you... but seems to be a pretty tight-ass person!  After the
 conversation, Selan "officially" joins!

 You may want to get her some equipment and all now.  Taking a moment
 to level her up doesn't hurt either.  When you're done, head for the
 Treasure Sword Shrine in the north.


 TREASURE SWORD SHRINE ------------------------------------------------

 Three ways to go: left, straight, or right.  Go left first, then go
 through the next room as well.  To the right is an odd wall, made so
 you can walk through it!  Pick up the pot and place it on the switch
 nearby, and the spikes disappear.  Use a Bomb on the weak wall and go
 through the passage, then down the floor.  Follow the passage and
 you'll find a Round Shield!  Equip it, and continue.  Move the blocks
 away and go up the steps, as the door leads to a dead-end.

 Go all the way back to the entrance and go through the door on the
 right.  Follow the path again and go down the steps.  You're now in
 some sort of puzzle room.  Stepping on a platform will get you to the
 other side of the path; that is until the platform can't go further.
 Confusing?  Just try it yourself...

 The fastest way to get all items is as follows: step on the platform
 you spot first, get the Undead Ring.  Then get on the platform near
 you, going up, then go to the right.  Use the platform southeast to
 reach a Cold Rapier.  Return to the steps and go on the platform
 nearest to you, going to the left, then down.  Ride the southeast
 platform again, then go to the right.  Now use the southwest platform
 to reach the last two chests!  The red one contains an Anger Brace,
 the green one the Sword Key.  Somehow get back to the entrance and use
 the key on the locked door in the middle.

 Make your way to the far end of the hall, but watch out!  There are
 several enemies hiding behind the pillars.  Don't try to avoid them or
 attempt to get a free attack from behind, because it's hard to do
 that.  Just follow the path, until you reach a room with switches.
 Get on the southwest platform first to get a Bat Rock, and then
 somehow get on the southeast path.  Move on until you arrive in a room
 with a stair set.

 In the upper-right corner is a piece of wall you'll need to walk
 against, to uncover a hidden area!  There is a couple of enemies and a
 chest with a Mind Ring!  After you've gotten the item and equipped it,
 go up the stairs.  Next is another puzzle: you need to place a bomb
 above the left one, then above the right one, then walk over the
 bridge that brings you to the other side as the bombs explode.  If you
 screw up, you'll fall down in the room below and you can try again.
 When you're finished, follow the path until you reach a room with
 yellow and red blocks... puzzle time again!

 Okay, the hint tile says, "All blocks between two yellows change to
 yellow, all blocks between two reds change to red."  It also says that
 for this puzzle, you must move ONE block to make all blocks yellow.
 Now if you aren't able to solve this puzzle on your own, I suggest you
 do not go further or your brains might explode.

 The next puzzle is somewhat harder.  You must change them all to
 yellow by moving ONE yellow block and ONE red block.  As long as you
 think diagonally, this should be no problem!  This puzzle also
 requires you to use the R-button.  Here's the solution ("o" is yellow
 and "x" is red):

   Start:            Step 1:           Step 2:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯            ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
           o                 o                 o
         x                 x                 o
   o x     o x o     o x   x x x o     o o o o o o o
         o x               o

 For the last one, you need to move TWO yellows and ONE red to change
 all to yellow.  To be honest, I think this is one of the most
 confusing puzzles in the game!  When I first got here, it took me ages
 before I finally figured out how to do this...  Though you might want
 to try this for yourself first, here's one of the possible solutions:

   Start:      Step 1:     Step 2:     Step 3:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯     ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯     ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
                                       o
   x   o       x           x x         o o
   x x x       x x x       x   x       o   o
   o x x       o o o o     o o o o     o o   o


 THE TWO CLOWNS -------------------------------------------------------

 Continue to the next room, and use the healing tiles, as well as the
 save point.  Follow the path, using the Sword Key, and you'll end up
 by another door.  Right when you're about to enter it, though, two
 clowns (or something) appear, not letting you enter.  Well you can
 choose between left and right, left leading into a fight with Pierre
 (blue) and right leading into a fight with Daniele.  Choose your
 victim.

 Boss Strategy -- Pierre or Daniele:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1200    320    140    100    300      1000    --

   There's something weird about these... besides how they look like,
   that is.  Pierre, who's blue, is weak against Water-attacks and all,
   contrary to what you'd think.  Daniele (red) is affiliated with the
   Water element, thus is weak against Fire- and Thunder-spells.
   Remember not to use the wrong magic, and don't forget that the Fire
   Dagger, Aqua Whip and Cold Rapier may or may not have effect.  If
   you keep this in mind, then easy battles are ahead; the only thing
   that might bother you is their speed.  Also, try to save IP for the
   next battles...

 Huh?  Right after you beat one of them, he or she reappears!  Let's
 try again, now go for the other one.  Unfortunately, the same happens
 and you'll return to the door.  Now go back to the healing tiles and
 recover HP and MP, save, then continue.  Selan then notices that they
 might be one monster split into two...  Our party then tries to take
 them out at the same time; Maxim and Tia on Pierre and Guy and Selan
 on Daniele.  See both boss strategies below for equipping hints.

 Boss Strategy -- Pierre:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1200    320    140    100    2300     4000    --

   You have Maxim and Tia for this.  Pierre is blue, so you need Water
   for this.  Have Maxim equipped with the Cold Rapier and Tia with the
   Aqua Whip, and use IP-attacks!  If Tia has Water-spells, use them
   too.

 Boss Strategy -- Daniele:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1200    320    140    100    2300     4000    --

   You have Guy and Selan for this.  Daniele is affiliated with Water,
   so use Fire- and Thunder- spells.  Have Guy with the Fire Dagger,
   use the IP "Blaze Attack" and POOF!  No more boss...  Selan can help
   by using Spark or Flash, or if you've got it, the Camu Rock's
   "Buster Attack".

 Ah, Selan was right, and the two are gone forever!  She'll explain how
 she knew all of this and all, and then you can go through the door to
 get... drums please... the Treasure Sword!  With that, let's head back
 to the King.  Note that Selan has the spell "Escape", so you might as
 well use it.  And also note: the Treas. Sword is a key item and not a
 weapon you can equip.


 GORDOVAN DESTROYED? --------------------------------------------------

 In the throne room, the King says your reward is a treasure in the
 basement!  Right after he's said that, though, a messenger comes in
 and reports that a single man destroyed entire Gordovan!  Selan then
 wants to find out what's going on, and Maxim offers to help.  Being
 the nasty girl she is, she joins again, though she never left.

 Be sure to grab your reward, which is a set of Holy Wings (equipment
 for either Tia or Selan, I'd say Selan).  Great... the King gives
 Maxim something he can't even wear!  Oh well.  Um, let's head for
 Gordovan, using the Small Shrine to Gordovan west of Parcelyte.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-H:  Gordovan Destroyed
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 When you arrive in Gordovan, you'll see that everything's destroyed!
 The man probably didn't intend to hurt people, as everyone's still
 alive and okay.  There's an Inn here (20G) and a Church to save,
 nothing more.  By talking to the people, you'll learn that the man
 went to the West Tower and that a strange female traveler was
 kidnapped as well...

   Items:     Hook, Eagle Rock, Muscle Ring, Speed Potion, Miracle,
              Wind Key, Scimitar, Block Shield; Dragon Egg, Aqua Jewel

   Monsters:  Fighter Ork, Antares, Doben, Big Mushroom, Evil Shell,
              Ghoul, Zombie, Goblin Mage, Ork Mage, Red Lobster,
              Regal Goblin, Ork, Gades

   Recommended Level:  19-21


 GORDOVAN WEST TOWER --------------------------------------------------

 Go to the left.  There's a Doben here, kill it and go through the
 door.  There's a "cage" with a monster and switch here, but you can't
 access them.  When the monster steps on the switch, use an Arrow to
 stun it and go through the left door.  Go up the stairs, arriving on
 2F.  Go through the door below.

 Here's a mini-puzzle.  There's a switch here, hit it.  On the other
 side is a plus with an upside-down U-formation of blocks covering it.
 Push its left two blocks down, and stand on the lowermost white space
 of the plus.  Use an Arrow to hit the switch on the left, but don't
 hit any of the other white tiles.  There's another switch in this
 area, flip it to the left so a corridor outside comes down.

 Continue till you can choose from a door to the left and a stair set
 to the right.  Go up the stairs, and then take the lower path to find
 two healing pods!  Go back and place the pot on the switch to the
 right, then follow the trail of the white tiles turned dark.  Go up
 the steps, then down one door to find a chest with the Hook!  It's an
 item sort of like the Hookshot in the Zelda series...  (You can now
 get the item, a Dragon Egg, in the Cave to Sundletan.)  Backtrack one
 room and utilize your Hook by moving the pillar to the right and
 shooting the Hook into the pillar above.  Cross the chasm left too.

 In the next area, fight/avoid the Evil Shell, and then go up the steps
 to arrive on 5F.  Take the left path here, go down, and use a Bomb to
 blow up the crate.  The spikes disappear, go through the door below to
 find a save point, and go outside to hit a switch.  Go back, and now
 take the door above, which leads to the Elevator Hall.  From here you
 can go to 1F, 2F, etc.

   1F -- Three ways to go, left, up, right.  Up leads to a wall you can
         bomb; the passage behind it leads to a chest with an Eagle
         Rock!  Use the Hook to cross the chasm (or take the right path
         from the Elevator Hall), go up the stairs, and pick up the
         Muscle Ring from the chest in the back.
   2F -- Go down to find a chest with a Speed Potion!  That is all.
   3F -- To the left is to continue, but you might as well visit the
         right path, then through the door below to find two healing
         tiles.  After you've used 'em, go to the left.  Skip the
         following two floors and continue reading...
   4F -- Follow the one and only path for a Miracle, then go back.
   5F -- This is where you started off, nothing special.

 (Walkthrough continued at 3F, taking the left path.)  Another puzzle!
 Solution: move the first pillar two spaces to the left, use the Hook
 on it via the other side, move the pillar below one space down, and
 use the Hook on it from below.  Don't screw up... it sucks.  Follow
 the path, go outside, climb the ladder, go inside, and step on the
 button.  Switches light up, then out, and you have to hit them in
 order:

   1, 5, 6, 2, 7, 3, 4

 If you wouldn't do this and fight the guard, it'd only reappear.  The
 thing he was guarding is a chest, containing the Wind Key!  Go down
 the stairs and use the Hook to get to the elevator.


 GADES: SINISTRAL OF DESTRUCTION --------------------------------------

 Go to the fifth floor, then to the right, then down, and outside.  Go
 up the ladder (if it isn't there, go back to where the save point is,
 then outside).  Now follow the path, and go through the door...  But
 as you try to that, the one who destroyed Gordovan rears its ugly
 face!  He introduces himself as Gades: Sinistral of Destruction.

 Boss Strategy -- Gades:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            7500    320    420    290    50000    50000   --

   It's actually not needed to defeat him, just let him fry you and the
   story continues.  If you want to kill him, then the best strategy
   would be to slow down Gades (IP of Spido Jewel) and get Maxim or Tia
   faster than him.  This is called a "challenge", and you should try
   to figure out a way to beat him by yourself... but!  I'm *not*
   responsible for any damages, harm, apocalyptic events (e.g.
   controller broken) or anything.  If you DO beat him, you'll acquire
   a whoppin' 50 kilo of experience and $$$!  You'll also acquire the
   Gades Blade, and that is outside of the battle so there's no
   probability involved here.  He then says, "Ah!  How irritating!  Now
   witness my true power!" and still toasts all of you...

 Okay, so now everyone's dead.  Gades laughs at you and leaves...
 Then, Iris comes in, fortunately, and revives everyone!  She'll tell
 you that Selan is also destined to fight, and leaves.  Before heading
 back to the King of Parcelyte, go north and get a Scimitar and Block
 Shield from the chests.

 Back in Parcelyte Kingdom's throne room, talk to the King.  Before you
 do that, though, un-equip everything off Guy!  Why?  After Selan says
 she's off to find more about this, someone comes in to tell Guy that
 Hilda's condition has worsened!  He'll then leave your party
 (temporarily, though), and Maxim asks the King to go with Selan.  Ah,
 I guess it's time for a new chapter!  Alternatively, now that you have
 the Hook, you can go collecting stuff.


 OPTIONAL / RANDOM BITS 'N PIECES -------------------------------------

 Good thing this game has a Warp- and Escape-spell... very useful!
 First off, warp to Elcid, and go into the Cave to Sundletan.  There,
 go to the right after you cross the bridge, then go down.  In the room
 with two pots, get the second pot on the switch under a bush, then go
 through the door.  Take the path on the right, use your Hook, and
 claim a Dragon Egg!

 As for the Aqua Jewel, warp to Alunze, go into the basement.  You
 remember the room with this inaccessible chest in a corner?  Well, get
 it now!  It contains, yes, an Aqua Jewel.  Equip it!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-I:  The Almighty Dekar
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Merix is a small village without anything special.  North of it is a
 cave, which connects Merix to Bound Kingdom.  However, Gades appeared
 here and destroyed it.  Also, enemies have been appearing more and
 more here...  As a matter of fact, I find it very annoying to have an
 overview-part for each chapter.  Oh well!  Hmmm, let's talk about
 something else.  Er, there's nothing more.  So uh, bye!

   Items:     Regain, Hi-Magic, Dragon Egg; Dragon Egg; Thunder Ring,
              Deadly Sword, Thunder Ax, Dragon Egg, Life Potion

   Monsters:  Goblin Mage, Ork Mage, Lizard Man, Ork, Fighter Ork,
              Doben, Winger, Shadow Fly, Deadly Sword, Green Clay,
              Lizard Man, Sand Gorem, Torrent, Mummy, Troll

   Recommended Level:  21-22


 MERIX VILLAGE --------------------------------------------------------

 By talking to the villagers here, it seems that Gades went to the
 North Cave and destroyed the bridge.  Besides this, there's also an
 Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, a Magic Shop, an Inn (20G) and a Church.  Oh,
 don't buy too much expensive things for Tia right now.


 CAVE BRIDGE ----------------------------------------------------------

 Well, let's check out the Cave Bridge, north of Merix Village.  In
 there, you'll find a guy that's supposed to be repairing the bridge,
 but because of the monsters, it's impossible!  But now Maxim and
 friends have arrived, so let them reduce the monster population.  Go
 down the stairs to the right.

 Hmmm... there's a pillar on the other side, but under the ground!  Go
 through the door, then through the other one to find a chest with a
 Regain.  Return, and mow the grass to the right.  Bomb the wall, then
 flip the switch, and the pillar goes up!  Use the Hook on it, and then
 follow the path until you arrive in a large room with two doors.  Take
 the right one, and you'll find a chest with a Hi-Magic!  Then take the
 other door.

 The room seems to be empty, and Tia walks around to see if there's
 anything special... she then somehow falls through the floor!  Selan
 then saves her butt, fortunately.  It appears that you've landed in an
 empty room.  Selan then walks around to see if there's anything
 special... and you can guess what happens next.  When finished, go
 through the door.

 Wow... lots o' monsters here!  You don't need to kill all of 'em, just
 go for the one in the small inlet (who doesn't move around).  If you
 do fight the other enemies, it seems that they reappear after a while!
 Use your sword (or a Bomb) to slash the black round thing, and for
 some reason, all monsters disappear.  Great!  Also, the door to the
 right is open, so enter.

 Go down all the stairs, and you'll arrive on the other side of the
 bridge.  Since the monsters are gone, the dude will fix the bridge!
 He'll then go back to his daughter, and instead of continuing, let's
 follow him back to Merix Village.


 OPTIONAL / A DRAGON EGG! ---------------------------------------------

 Go to his house in the lower-right corner.  Talk to the man and his
 daughter will then give you a Dragon Egg!  Neat!  Um, yeah, let's go
 back to the bridge to Bound Kingdom.


 BOUND KINGDOM --------------------------------------------------------

 Just as you enter the place, a man with a couple of followers enters
 the castle...  Then, some pretty self-confident fellow with lots of
 guts appears.  After the conversation, the monsters attack, and the
 guy defeats 'em all in one hit!  Heh... he's also funny, too.  Idura,
 humiliated as he is, escapes.  A Red Jelly seems to have survived the
 attack.  A Prince appears, and--without too much trouble--manages to
 kill it!  You'll learn that the other guy's name is Dekar.  Talk to
 him.  After the introduction and all, go inside the castle.

 There's an Inn (30G), a Weapon/Armor Shop, a Church upstairs, and the
 Item Shop is all the way downstairs.  As always, go to the throne
 room.  Upon entering, another man enters to report that Idura went to
 the North Labyrinth.  Prince Alex and Josef prepare to take him on,
 and the King asks Dekar to secretly follow him and all.  Why, let us
 secretly follow them too!


 NORTH LABYRINTH ------------------------------------------------------

 If you don't need the first three items, skip this and the following
 two paragraphs.  At the beginning, take a right and go through the
 door.  Instead of going down the steps you see, cut away the bushes in
 the corner and walk through the wall there: a Thunder Ring is secretly
 hidden!  Now return and go down the steps.  In the upper-left corner
 is a switch which is connected with the door; step on it.  In the next
 room, use your Hook to get yourself on the other side, and then enter
 the door.  Don't walk over the spikes, but use an Arrow or your Hook
 to switch the switch from afar (the door would lead to a dead-end
 anyway).  Now go back to the very first room.

 Now, take the door in the middle, and follow the path.  Eventually,
 you'll be in the room with the spikes, but because you switched it,
 you're free to continue.  Flip the switch in the next area to reveal a
 bridge, then go through the door above.  In the room in the back is a
 chest with a Deadly Sword... it's cursed so don't equip it if you
 don't want it.

 Backtrack back to the first room, and take the right door again.  Go
 to the room with the spikes, hit the switch from afar, and continue.
 Since you've made a bridge back then, you can proceed here!  In the
 room that follows are a Zombie and a weak wall.  Bomb the wall, and
 you'll find a Thunder Ax!  Quite useless, since Guy isn't here, but
 still.  Return to the first room.  Now, you can lift the curse on the
 Deadly Sword if you want (go to the Priest in Bound Kingdom), or
 continue.

 Take the left door.  There's a Green Clay here.  After you fight (or
 ignore it), go through the other door to find a stair set.  However,
 this stair set is on drugs.  If you try to enter it, it moves to the
 right of you!  Luckily, it can't move on the bricks, and there's a
 small inlet below.  Trap it there and enter.

 Go down a room.  Mini-puzzle!  Move the pillar one space to the right
 and use your Hook from below.  Place the pot, and continue.  There's a
 Deadly Sword (an enemy, I mean) here, and stairs.  Go down there, and
 proceed to the next room.  Well I guess this is the main room of this
 floor; there are four doors and five movable platforms.

 Let's take the upper-right door first; step on the northernmost
 platform and go to the right to reach it.  See those four pillars
 right there?  See that darkened square of tiles?  Yes, you need to get
 the pillars on that.  The weight of all four together makes a bridge
 for you, leading to another Dragon Egg!  Oh, and what's that blue
 thing I see below...?

 Capsule Monster -- "Shaggy":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Coming from the Dragon Egg's room, step on the only platform that
   leads to the lower-right room.  Use your Hook to cross the pillar-
   infested area (I really don't see the deal here, note that you can
   pull yourself over those ledges), and at the end, you shall find a
   Shaggy!  After he joins the party, give him a name ("FLASH", or
   change it to "Flash").  Now go back to the main room.

 As you can see, you'll need to use Reset, because you're stuck (as far
 as I know, there's no way to make a "perfect", an upside-down reversed
 L-shaped formation).  Ride the three-arrow platform to the upper-left
 by first moving the other platforms away.

 In the next room, you'll have to "...light up all the panels with a
 bomb."  Simple!  Solution: bomb the three panels to the right, then
 the middle one, then the upper-left one (in any order).  A bridge
 comes up.  Take the Life Potion from the chest, fight the Ork Mage if
 you wish, go down the steps, heal if needed, and use the save point on
 your path.  Solve the "puzzle", then move on to the next room.  And,
 Alex and Josef are here!  As you near them, the ground behind you
 disappears and Idura appears...  He then summons four Mummies.

 Boss Strategy -- Bunch o' Mummies:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            150     0      120    102    100      500     --

   Though they are fast, they're actually just regular enemies you'll
   meet later (which is apparently a false statement--those regular
   enemies I'm mentioning appear to be a bit stronger).  You can guess
   that they're weak against Fire, so use Spark- or Fireball- spells.
   Be sure to heal when needed, and try to have everyone at almost max
   HP before you finish the battle.

 After you dispatch 'em, Idura throws three Trolls at you.

 Boss Strategy -- Bunch o' Trolls:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            200     0      130    100    100      500     --

   Also weak against Fire, also fast.  Use the same strategy as above.
   If you lose, I have no choice but to laugh at you.

 Once they're done with, Dekar comes in!  After he disposes some of
 Idura's monsters, Idura cowardly runs off.  After Alex finally
 realizes he, uh... sucks, all is okay now!  Anyway, use Escape to go
 back to Bound Kingdom, as Dekar said he wanted to talk to you.


 GADES'S THREATS ------------------------------------------------------

 When you enter the castle, this fellow stops you and says that Gades
 appeared here and talked to the King!  Erm, you might want to remove
 all equipment off Tia and Selan now.  After you've done that, go to
 the King.  He'll say that Gades would sink Seim Island, the island
 Parcelyte is on, and that he'd destroy Bound Kingdom...  Maxim and
 Dekar then decide to take him out, while Tia and Selan should lead the
 people of Parcelyte to safety.  Fortunately, Guy then appears!  He
 rejoins the party, and the King tells you Gades went to the East
 Tower.  Knowing he has to face Gades again, Maxim heads off.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-J:  Gades; the Showdown
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Having both Guy and Dekar in your party, you're almost invincible now!
 The point here is to kick Gades sorry end because HE started!  You
 heard that Gades landed on the Ancient Tower, east of Parcelyte.  He
 threatened he'd sink the island Parcelyte is on, and we wouldn't want
 that, eh?

   Items:     Protect Ring, Pumpkin Jewel, Muscle Ring, Fayza Shield,
              Cloud Key, Miracle; Magic Bikini (don't ask)

   Monsters:  Deadly Armor, King Frog, Evil Shell, Bruse, Dark Fly,
              Shadow Fly, Pumpkin Head, Earth Viper, Spinner, Snell,
              Gades

   Recommended Level:  23-25


 ANCIENT TOWER --------------------------------------------------------

 Put Dekar and Guy in front, Maxim in the back, and be sure to equip
 them with your best stuff.  You'll also want to equip AGL-boosting
 things on Dekar, since he's SLOW.  Hmmm, okay, let's go inside.  You
 can go to the right, but it only leads to a hint tile with the text,
 "Cross swords with the red guardian three times."  Go back to the
 first room.

 See that pillar to the left?  Push it on the middle of the carpet,
 then against the wall; the wall moves.  At the end, move the pillar to
 the left.  Go through the door, then up a room, and defeat the Earth
 Viper and Bruse.  The door opens.  In the next room is a special tile
 surrounded by four pillars.  Trap the Pumpkin Head here (stun it if
 necessary) instead of killing it and the door to the right opens.

 To access the next stair set, push the pillar above left or below
 right of the block that makes the lower-left corner, then use the Hook
 from afar to reach it.  Now continue until you arrive in a room with
 spikes and a switch.  Ignore the switch, and bomb the weak spot (the
 other path would only lead to a hint to continue, but hey--that thing
 in front of your nose is a walkthrough!).  Step on the colored tiles
 near the wall and another door appears, which can be opened.  In the
 room in the back is a stair set, go up.

 Follow the path and you'll come across a warp tile.  It warps you to
 the warp you were looking at when stepping into it.  Let's start with
 the left warp (so enter from the right).  Here's a room with many
 enemies, but the chests contain some valuable stuff... a Protect Ring,
 a Pumpkin Jewel (it's called "PUMKIN Jewel" here, dumb typo), and a
 Muscle Ring.

 Go outside, up the ladder, and inside.  You'll find a formation of
 blocks; push the movables one space towards the block in the middle.
 A switch appears!  You can't reach it, but your Arrow/Hook can.  In
 the room in the back, step on the switch to lower the blue barrier.
 Now, backtrack all the way back to the teleporters.

 This time, go to the right part, and up the stairs.  First take the
 right door for a chest with a Fayza Shield (and a Deadly Armor enemy
 to fight).  Go back and take the left door, after you fight/ignore the
 King Frog.  Step on the upper-left switch, and the red barrier is
 gone!  Go in the room in the back and flip the switch.  Then read the
 hint sign; it reads, "Fight the blue guardian five times."  Eh?

 Now, go outside and take the left door.  Kill the Earth Viper and King
 Frog, enter the opened door, and you will find the Cloud Key!  Whip
 out your Bombs and blow up the weak wall in the back, to additionally
 find a Miracle!  Great, now go back outside and go down the ladder
 you've revealed earlier (that is the left one).

 In the next room are four pillars and four switches, guess what to do
 now?  After you've finally figured out how this works, go through the
 door and up two stairs.  Hmmm...  here are two statues on a blue and a
 red carpet.  Remember the hints you've gotten earlier?  Hit the blue
 one five times (with your sword or something) and the red one three
 times, then step on the crest in the middle.  They turn into healing
 pods!  After you've used 'em, go through the door below and save your
 game.

 The next element in this tower is something called the "Monster
 Races".  It's really simple, you need to place your bets on one of the
 three monsters, and if they step on the warp tile first, while you are
 on the corresponding warp, you continue.  Otherwise, you'll have to
 try again.  Strange...  Also, you can use Arrows to stun the others,
 but remember about staying on your own warp.  I always go for the
 skeleton because it almost always wins...  When you're able to
 proceed, hit the switch and a corridor goes down.  Go outside and
 cross it.  Use your Cloud Key inside one of the last chambers, and
 you'll arrive on 7F.  And then--the Sinistral of Destruction gives
 appearance, and it's up to you to Destruct him.

 Boss Strategy -- Gades:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            3000    320    240    180    10000    20000   --

   You HAVE to win right now, as Iris won't help you out.  Gades's
   Destructo Wave does less damage now, only watch out for his
   Devastation-attack.  I'd cast a couple of status-down and status-up
   spells, like the Stone Helmet's Weakpoint (defense down) in
   combination with Trick and Battle Lust (attack up); it's really
   effective!  Or use Bravery if you sustain too much damage.  Guy and
   Dekar should attack here while Maxim heals and uses these status-
   spells.

   Too bad you don't get his blade.  :(  Anyway, this is not a hard
   battle, but not simple (mindlessly attack) either.  Why the hell
   does he drop a friggin' measly 10,000 experience points, contrary to
   the whoppin' 50,000 before?  *sigh*  And how come he has 4500 less
   hit points than in the previous confrontation?  Weird (though I'm
   not complaining ^_^;).

 Once you defeat him, Gades, being utterly baffled by your fighting
 skills, escapes to the back.  Maxim follows him, but the corridor
 collapses so Guy and Dekar are forced to stay behind...  Now, Gades's
 revenge is to sink Seim Island using some mechanism, and then Tia and
 Selan appear!  They appear to have followed you, and the group warps
 back to Parcelyte.  Now it's up to you, to stop the mechanism...


 SAVE PARCELYTE! ------------------------------------------------------

 Three pillars, three stairs.  Normally, you had to search for the hint
 tiles to see what to do, but I'll just tell you here: Bombs destroy
 the red, Arrows destroy the blue.  Go down the upper stair set and use
 the HP recovery pod, continue, and destroy the blue statue.  In the
 room in the back is a chest with a Magic Bikini.  Ignoring the fact
 that this is NOT for you, continue.

 Back in the first room, take the right stairs.  Bomb the red statue,
 go down one room and save.  Return and take the left stairs, use the
 MP recovery pod if needed, and proceed.  Walk over all dark tiles to
 lighten them up, and a door opens!  Go outside, down, inside.  Stand
 on the gray tile in the back, and Parcelyte is saved!  However, some
 beams of destruction hit you, but Iris saves the day by warping you to
 Parcelyte...  Whee!


 SAVED PARCELYTE! -----------------------------------------------------

 Sit down, relax, because you'll have to watch a long sequence...  And
 for the sake of thoroughness, I'll just summarize: Tia realizes that
 there's no future for her and Maxim, and a while later, Maxim and
 Selan get married!  With Guy and Jessy occasionally popping into the
 scene, they of course escape from the festivities to fight monsters.
 Now, one year will pass by...  Selan gets this baby, a boy, who gets
 named "Jeros".  Cool!

 A while later, though, the pair finds Idura in their room!  He takes
 Jeros with him and challenges the two to find him in the North
 Lighthouse...  Of course, they go after him to get Jeros back.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-K:  Jeros Captured!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The title spoils enough... which is my excuse for not writing an intro
 to this chapter.

   Items:     Mystery Ring, Dragon Egg, Big Shield, Fire Ring,
              Light Key, Bee Rock, Cancer Rock

   Monsters:  Goblin Mage, Ork Mage, Snatcher, Armor Horse,
              Red Lobster, Drill Shell, Idura

   Recommended Level:  24


 NORTH LIGHTHOUSE -----------------------------------------------------

   Note:  In case you've un-equipped everything off Selan, be sure to
          get her dressed now.  You'll have to go through the North
          Lighthouse with only Maxim and Selan.

 Inside, move the blocks in such a fashion that you have an arrow
 pointing to the right.  In the next room is the door leading to three
 treasure chests, but how to reach it is a puzzle!  Check the hint tile
 to see what you have to do.  It took me ages before I actually
 discovered what to do...  Solution: make the door visible using two
 crates, and then place the third crate in front of the door so you
 block the walls from closing!  Weird, eh?  Anyway, the rest is simple:
 get the other crates on the switch and the crest, and POOF!  Enter...
 You'll find a Mystery Ring, Dragon Egg, and Big Shield, whoo!

 Go through the door on the left, up the stairs, and down one room.
 Here's a memory puzzle!  If you get an error four times, enemies will
 be released, and if you solve the puzzle, they disappear.  Now, I've
 taken the courtesy of giving you the solution!  I think you've figured
 out already that matching numbers are pairs:

   1 2 3 4
   5 4 6 7
   8 6 1 5
   8 7 3 2

 When you're done, the door below opens.  But first, go to the left and
 up the stairs (you don't necessarily have to have solved the puzzle
 for this), go down a room and step on the switch.  Then return and go
 through the opened door, and outside.  Go inside the other room and
 fight the Red Lobster.  Upstairs is a Cancer, destroy it too if you
 want.  Now, before you Hook yourself to the other side, go outside, up
 the ladder, inside, for a chest with a Fire Ring!

 Return and cross the chasm.  Defeat the Armor Horse if you want, and
 go through the door above.  There's a weak wall in the back, use a
 Bomb to blow it up and whack the switch for a ladder outside to get in
 place.  Erm, you might as well use it, so head outside and go up one
 floor.

 Another puzzle!  Doesn't require any brains, though, only good eyes.
 Couple of tiles mix up, and you have to remember where the black ones
 are, and place pots on them.  If you watch closely, you'll find out
 it's the leftmost one and the one two spaces right of it.  Once you
 solve this, the spikes vanish, so you can get the Light Key from the
 chest!  Now you have to return to the first room (the arrow).  To the
 left is a shortcut, if you didn't notice, use it to get warped back to
 the room with the three chests.

 Now, move the blocks in such a way that an arrow points to the left,
 enter, and use the Light Key on the door.  Go up a floor, up a room,
 and up a floor twice.  First go in the room below; you'll find two
 healing pods and a save point.  After you've made use of them, go
 through the other door.  And go up the stairs, again, arriving on 5F.

 To the right is a pillar!  Move it away (not against the wall), and
 place a Bomb on the ground.  You'll make a hole in the ground; push
 the pillar in it.  Fall into the hole yourself too.  Now, move the
 pillar onto the upper switch so you can get the Bee Rock from the
 chest.  Then, move it all the way to the left.  Use the Hook to get to
 the other side of the chasm and Hook yourself to the pillar, so you
 will fall down to a hidden area!  There's a Cancer Rock here.  Use the
 warp and go upstairs.

 In the room where the pillar was, go down another room for healing
 pods and a save point.  After you've used them, go outside, and into
 the other door.  Go up two rooms and place the blocks on the buttons,
 except for one!  You see, a stair set appears and it'll be in your
 reach if you step on a button yourself, and it'd be inaccessible if
 you placed a block.  Proceed to find Jeros.  Idura appears, but then
 Iris saves the kid.  Hey--don't just stand there, ATTACK IDURA!

 Boss Strategy -- Idura:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1500    320    200    160    5000     1000    --

   Idura is weak against Ice, so I'd suggest having the Scimitar and
   the Cold Rapier equipped... use Ice Attack and Glacial Blast, and
   WHAM... he's dead meat.  There's also an Aqua Jewel with a nice IP.
   Basically, that's all you need to know.  Idura also calls Groupies
   to support him (44 HP, 100 experience, 250G), but those're weak and
   can be defeated in one hit.  Come on; 44 HP?  Gimme a break.  Also,
   if you're lucky, you'll get a Magic Fruit (which is dropped by
   Groupies).


 A CHANGE OF FATE -----------------------------------------------------

 After he disappears, Jeros seems okay, and a chat with Iris starts.
 Maxim's fate seems to have changed, and he has to fight again...  So
 that's what we're going to do!  After bringing back Jeros to Selan's
 aunt, step into the bed to sleep, go out, and Warp to Bound Kingdom.
 Go to the right, to the Small Shrine to Aleyn.  Ah...  Guy and Dekar
 are here, and they rejoin you!  Be sure to put them in front of the
 team in order for them to clock up whoop-ass damage.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-L:  The Phantom Tree
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 In Aleyn, you'll find out that the ships were destroyed!  You'll also
 learn that a fellow named Jyad went to the Phantom Tree Mountain to
 find wood to make a new boat...  Yes, a boat we need!  Maxim, being
 the true helpful guy he is, lends him a hand, hoping he'll lend us a
 hand as well.

   Items:     Tree Key, Water Ring, Fire Arrow

   Monsters:  Stinger, Dark Fly, Mad Gorem, Lizard Man, Armor Bee,
              Skull Lizard, La Fleshia, Lion

   Recommended Level:  25-26


 PORT TOWN OF ALEYN ---------------------------------------------------

 Enter the Port Town of Aleyn.  Of course, there's the usual town stuff
 you can do here, and summarized, the people say that a man came and
 destroyed all ships, and that Jyad is the ship builder around here.
 He's gone to the North Mountain, and let's head there too!

 Or buy some new equipment and spells.  I highly recommend having Rally
 and Stronger, as well as either Vortex or Blizzard.  Though Rally is
 quite expensive, having it on both Maxim and Selan makes hard battles
 a tad easier.  Now, head north and circle around the mountains to
 reach the...


 PHANTOM TREE MOUNTAIN ------------------------------------------------

 Head straight forward and use a Bomb to burn all three patches of
 grass at once.  Defeat the enemies in the next room if you want, then
 go to the back room.  Upstairs, kick the switch so a ladder appears.
 Back in the entrance room, take the door to the right, go up, then up
 one level, then through the door.  Head outside, then into the other
 cave.

 Now, here's another puzzle!  We'll get to it later.  Bomb the wall to
 the right, fight/avoid the enemies and follow the path outside.  On
 the mountain, you'll find a Tree Key!  Now go back to that puzzle I
 mentioned.  All grass needs to be grown for a door to open; stepping
 on a patch does the trick but you can't slash your way out of it if
 you're stuck!  Solution: stand in the lower-right corner, go 3 up, 1
 right, 1 down, 1 right, 1 up, 1 right, 2 down, 1 left, 1 down, 1 left,
 and just step on the remaining patches.

 Go through the opened door.  Here, you'll find a blue chest, with your
 next skill... a Fire Arrow!  There's a lotta grass here, and you might
 as well unleash a couple of Fire Arrows here.  When you're finished,
 head into the next room.  After you've dealt with the Mad Gorem and
 Torrent here, go outside and down two floors.

 Enter the cave and go up the steps.  See the other stair set over
 there?  Enter.  It's a room infested with monsters, but there's a
 Water Ring in the upper-left corner!  After you've gotten it (or just
 don't enter it), return and cut away the vines on the wall in order to
 reveal a passage, leading to stairs.  Go up.  Now, here's another
 puzzle!

 First off, get on the upper-right platform.  Cut away the bushes to
 the right, then use your Fire Arrows to get rid of the bushes to the
 left.  Move the lower block left and the one above right.  Burn the
 grass at the far side.  Move the left block one up, and the middle one
 to the right, so you can push the last block on the switch!  Now get
 on the other platform and while firing off Fire Arrows, push the
 blocks on both switches.  Now, over to the BIG puzzle of this room...

 Since you can only step on each square once (or else you'll fall down
 to the place with lots of monsters), you'll have to figure out a way
 to get both pots on the switches so you can get to the door.  Use the
 platform on the right of the area to think, or mindlessly use this
 (start below the second of the two entrance squares):

   Key      -- "U/D/L/R" = walk in direction; "(U/D/L/R)" = turn into
               direction using the R-button; "P" = pick up/place pot
   Solution -- URURRRRRP, UULLDLLLLDLLUUUURU(R)P, (L)P, UP, R(D)P,
               (U)P, DDDDRRRURUU

 Bomb the wall in the back.  You'll arrive in a room with a bunch of
 pillars, so whip out mister Hook and walk on the platform north.  It's
 simple, really, just search for a platform you can reach and you'll
 eventually make it.  But since I feel sorry for the less intelligent
 ones, here're the directions: down, left, down, right, up, right, up.

 Go through the door and follow the paths.  Now you need to cross the
 other end but the stake is controlled by a switch that isn't in your
 reach!  Luckily, a monster is having the time of its life there
 walking around, and might step on that switch.  If so, quickly pull
 yourself to the other side.  Kill the Skull Lizard (or leave it alone
 because it helped you!) and follow the path outside.

 Cross the bridge and bomb your way through the door.  Next is a room
 with a suspicious square of ground.  The hint tile reads, "The floor
 is very fragile here.  Don't put so much weight on it."  Geez, seems
 that Taito/Natsume ain't making it any hard for us, eh?  Get the Mad
 Gorem to follow you on the square, the floor falls down, and go down
 the steps below.


 JYAD, THE SHIP BUILDER -----------------------------------------------

 Use the Tree Key on the door and you'll find Jyad!  He knows of a tree
 here of which he can make a perfect ship, but he's stuck here because
 of a monster!  Go down and save your game, heal, then proceed to find
 the evil fiend.

 Boss Strategy -- Pair of Lions:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1000    0      200    120    5000     8000    --

   Not so hard...  They're actually enemies you'll meet later in the
   game (with considerably less HP, though), with another background
   music.  Just use a couple of IP-attacks while healing when/if
   needed.  If it's too hard, cast Trick and Brave too.  Also,
   concentrate on one Lion before going for the other one.

 Now, go outside, Hook yourself to the other side and witness the
 tree...  The five will Warp back to Aleyn, where Jyad starts working
 on his project!  Since it takes a few days, Guy and Dekar will chill
 around...

 ...and so should you.  You can find Guy and Dekar in the Item (Tea)
 Shop, but to continue, sleep at the local Inn twice (10G a night).
 Jyad will then be down at the pier, go and talk to him.  After Guy and
 Dekar return, you have the option to either go to Narcysus or
 Gruberik.  I'll consider the optional Gruberik in the appendices (see
 section 3-A), and you can safely skip it.  Not recommended, though.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-M:  A Mysterious Melody
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Narcysus...  A peaceful port town with a lot of beautiful women.
 Sometimes, this town is called "Narsysus", but that's just one of the
 many typos in the game.  YES, YES, I know about the many typos in THIS
 guide, so allow me to shut up now.

   Items:     Narcysus Key, Ice Ring

   Monsters:  Dragonian, Pug, Specter, Ochi Warrior, Drill Shell,
              Cancer, Evil Fish, Idura

   Recommended Level:  27-29


 NARCYSUS -------------------------------------------------------------

   Note:  Place Guy and Dekar back in front of the party (because they
          left you for a while, the formation has reset).

 As you arrive, go up the right stairs.  Suddenly, however, you'll hear
 this flute tune.  Right after that, you'll notice a couple of ladies
 go out of the village!  Only the young, unmarried ones, which is
 another mystery...  Of course, no time to futz around, so find out
 what's going on!

 Or, naturally, explore the village.  There's a Church, an Inn (40G),
 an Item Shop, and a Weapon/Armor Shop with some good stuff.  I'd spend
 a while there to equip your party (unless, of course, you've collected
 the better stuff in the Ancient Cave already...).  When finished, go
 to the Tower of Sacrifice, north of this village.


 TOWER OF SACRIFICE ---------------------------------------------------

 The second room of the tower introduces "Blockheads" (I'll just call
 them that); the black round things with two eyes.  Whenever you try to
 pass the ground in the range they're looking at, you'll get blown to
 the back, so walk around him.  In the next room, go up the stairs.

 Walk to the end of the room and go down.  Stomp the switch, cross the
 chasm and go through the door.  Here are two switches.  Jump on both
 of them and the pillars at the end vanish, so you can continue.  But!
 If you walk in the range of the Blockheads, the pillars appear again!
 Hmmm...  Hey, see that crack in the wall over there?  Navigate back to
 the room before and search for a passage.  Place a bomb, and voila!

 Follow the path until you reach 3F.  It's a room with an Ochi Warrior
 (which you can damage by healing), a weak wall and an exit, nuke your
 way through the wall first.  Go down the steps, and again, then head
 south to find a blue chest!  It contains the Narcysus Key.  After
 you've thrown it into your inventory, place a couple of Bombs near the
 three pillars to break them down.

 Now go up one floor and then go south to find that the wall is gone!
 There's a stair set there, leading to an Ice Ring.  Be sure to grab it
 and return to the room with the Ochi Warrior.  Go outside, to the
 left, and inside.  Here is another Ochi Warrior, as well as a Drill
 Shell.  Use the Narcysus Key on the door, and then head inside.  Here
 are two Blockheads, blocking the way to a switch.  Solution is to push
 the movable block to the left, so you can reach that switch.  Flip it,
 and the spikes disappear.  Step on the switch that becomes accessible,
 and those statues move away!  Move the block to the left to the north,
 so you can continue.

 Next is a pair of two arrows.  The hint tile says, "Reverse the panels
 and the path will open."  Use your Bombs!  It's not a hard puzzle,
 just remember not to place your Bombs randomly or you'll screw up.
 Here's the solution ("x" is where to place a Bomb):

   Left:         Right:
   ¯¯¯¯¯         ¯¯¯¯¯¯
       .             .
     . x . x     x . x .
   x . . x .     . x . . x
     . x . x     x . x .
       .             .

 And...

 Capsule Monster -- "Hard Hat":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Instead of going left or right, go down the door to find another
   Capsule Monster!  His name is "GUSTO", or "Gusto", and is of the
   wind-element.  Before you ask: I do not know why he is called a
   "Hard Hat".

 From the "Arrow Room", go to the right first.  Work your way through
 the rooms (three enemies), and go outside.  Hit the switch for the
 ladder to the left to complete.  Then go back and take the left path.
 Coincidentally, you'll come across the same enemies, but that's not
 important!  What's important is that you can now go to the top floor.
 On your way is a save point, use it.

 As for the next puzzle, you have to walk between columns while you
 have to get the blocks on the switches.  Here's the solution: go all
 the way to the right, go up, go to the middle of the room, go down,
 walk one column to the left, go up, go to the left, go down, and then
 go to the door using either the far left or far right path.  Simple!

 Head to the last floor and you'll find the girls.  As Maxim, Selan and
 Guy check if they're alright, it appears that it's a trap!  Idura then
 appears, and says the girls will be used to resurrect Gades...  Of
 course, Dekar's still there, and he scares off Idura and saves the
 girls!  However, this brainless whacko gets trapped too...  Since the
 women made him so invincible, he just breaks through the cage, after
 which it's time for another boss battle.

 Boss Strategy -- Idura:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            2500    300    280    200    10000    10000   --

   In the words of Idura, "Easy!  So easy."  Again, he's weak against
   Ice-attacks so use them as much as possible.  Weak against Ice also
   means that he's strong against Thunder, so the Thunder Ax isn't too
   effective here.  He calls Followers, but those are not a real
   threat.  Idura's HP have increased by 1000, making it 2500 now.  His
   Followers have 300 HP, 100 experience, 250 gold.

 After you defeat Idura, he expectedly runs off.  After the women are
 freed, the party discusses the Sinistrals and what the hell is going
 on, and decide to move on.


 NARCYSUS -------------------------------------------------------------

 Um, the Inn is free now, in case you want to know.  Also, people here
 say that Idura went to Karlloon.  Why not head there too?


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-N:  Follow Idura
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 This chapter covers the process of smoking Idura out of his hole.  You
 see, he is a bad guy, and because we are the good guys, we are granted
 upon the privilege of punishing him.  People say he went to the
 Karlloon North Shrine, which means that there's a shrine to clear
 first before dispensing some slaps.  On another note, Karlloon is also
 known as Caron in I believe only one occasion--I think the list of the
 Warp-spell was partly overlooked by the translating team of the
 developers.

   Items:     Dekar Blade, Lion Fang, Fury Ring

   Monsters:  Lion, Ammonite, Hound, Jurahan, Troll, Medusa,
              Dark Skull, Drill Shell, Dragonian, Idura

   Recommended Level:  29-31


 KARLLOON -------------------------------------------------------------

 Inn is 20G.  There's an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, a Church and a Magic
 Shop.  People say that some light went into the shrine north, so that
 might be Idura.  Um, yeah, let's head there.


 KARLLOON NORTH SHRINE ------------------------------------------------

 At the beginning, you'll see a priest (or some clown who captured the
 real one and took over his clothes).  He says that he senses
 uneasiness, so be warned...  Ahem, let's just continue.  The first
 thing you'll come across is a Lion.  Bust him up, and then proceed to
 a pillar and a broken pillar on the ground.  And a locked door.  Now,
 grab a Bomb and place it near the pillar for a panel to appear!  Get
 the other pillar on it and continue.

 In room number two, fight the Ammonite if you want, then go up the
 stairs.  Go up a room, then to the left.  Here's a room with a gap and
 a lever on the other side; first go north through a door.  Hit the two
 switches here so a pillar comes up.  Get your Hook to cross the chasm,
 and then open the chest for a Dekar Blade!  Equip it on Dekar, then
 return.  (I have no idea what the purpose of the warp and pillar
 is...)

 Flip the lever on the other side, and then use your Hook on the pillar
 that appears near it.  Continue, and you'll eventually arrive in a
 room with two fire-pillars; hit the first one so the other one will
 light up, which somehow opens the door...  Funny.  Next is a stair
 set, go up.  Then comes a room with a Medusa and a Jurahan.  After
 that is a puzzle in which you have to move the block one space up.
 Get the Lion Fang from the chest, and go up a room.  Do a 540 Madonna
 back-flip and land in the warp.

 Another puzzle!  Simple, actually.  From the entrance, while holding
 the A-button, go 2 left, 1 up, 1 left, 2 up, 2 right, 1 up, 2 right, 1
 down, 1 left, 1 down.  In the room you'll land in are two spots you
 can plant a Bomb at.  Do so for both, and then enter the right
 chamber.  Pull the lever, then take the left path to find healing
 spots, and a save point!  Use all three of them, and then step into
 the warp.

 In this room, go north through the door.  There, you will find Idura
 again!  After he rants about Amon--another Sinistral--not forgiving
 him anymore, he fights you.  Quite dumb move, but whatever.

 Boss Strategy -- Idura:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            3500    300    360    200    10000    10000   --

   Nothing has really changed since last battles, except a slight HP
   increase and Dekar having a Dekar Blade.  If you're able to, use its
   IP-attack (preferably as soon as possible, in order to increase the
   attack's effectiveness).  If you have some spiffy weapons from the
   Ancient Cave, use them as well!  He'll call Groupies (300 HP, 100
   experience, 250 gold, and a slight chance you'll acquire a Magic
   Fruit from them) again, and is still weak against Ice.

 After he's gone for the third time, head up (you can't leave anyway)
 and you'll find Iris trapped in a room!  As the party tries to use
 Escape, they find out that the spell is blocked!  And also that the
 shrine is collapsing, so the team heads out to find this mechanism
 that blocks Escape.  Go all the way south and arrive in the room you
 haven't explored yet.

 Here, move one of the two pillars near the big hole, then swing your
 Hook on it from the other side.  You'll fall into one of the entrance
 rooms, go down the steps twice to continue.  Get the Fury Ring from
 the chest below.  See those three pillars north?  Plant Bombs at the
 bottom of them, and then watch a wall come down.  Go up the steps on
 the left.

 Fight the Hound if you wish, then go down the steps north.  The other
 paths you can take are just there for nothing; if you didn't bomb the
 three pillars below and didn't have a guide, then you'd probably
 aimlessly walk around there.  Before you go through the door, get all
 equipment off Dekar.  Then continue!


 DEKAR'S DEMISE -------------------------------------------------------

 Iris notes that that ball at the far side may be the source, so Dekar
 offers to break it.  He's successful, but as he wants to leave, a
 monster attacks him in the back and Idura's ghost appears!  The shrine
 self-destructs, and Dekar follows Idura "...to the ends of the earth!"
 Unfortunately, the others have to warp back without him.  Which is not
 a good thing, by the way... those muscles were a great asset to the
 party, both literally and figurative, and regrettably, we'll have to
 part with them.

 Back in Karlloon, Iris will leave your party again.  Maxim and co.
 decide to take the Sinistrals out, with or without Dekar--that's the
 spirit!  So head down to the Small Shrine to Treadool, going to
 another port town.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-O:  The Pretty Flower
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Hmmm... around Treadool is a cave and a mountain, and for the rest
 only water!  So I guess it's a boat we need.  Besides the boat stuff,
 there's a girl you will meet who really really wants a rare flower,
 and, because the game says so, and not because Maxim wants to, the
 team heads out and helps her.

   Items:     Hammer; Eron Hat, Tuff Buckler; Life Potion, Snake Rock,
              Flower Key, Flying Ax, Dragon Egg, Power Ring

   Monsters:  Lunar Bear, Gnome, Crow Kelp, Necromancer, Tengu,
              Earth Viper, Rogue Flower

   Recommended Level:  31-35


 TREADOOL -------------------------------------------------------------

 In Treadool, talk to the dude with the purple hair and he'll ask you
 if you're interested in a boat... oh!  What a coincidence!  Ahem.  The
 people will tell you about this man named Lexis Shaia, who lives in
 his laboratory in a cave to the north.  Um, let's head there to talk
 to him.  Selan thinks he's an untrustworthy person, but like Guy says,
 we'll have to see first!


 LEXIS'S LAB, AND HIS ENGINE ------------------------------------------

 Stinky lab this fellow has...  It's full of traps: there are several
 doors you can choose from and there's only one right.  First take the
 right door, then the left door, then cut away the vines on the right
 to find the real entrance.  Go down the steps and talk to the
 professor.

   Note:  If he says that he's busy and says nothing more, then you
          haven't spoken to the purple hairdo in Treadool, which you
          must do first.

 After the introduction and all, he tells you that he wants to sell
 that ship because it isn't strong enough to hold one of his other
 inventions: the engine.  With an engine, you can sail around without
 wind!  Sounds cool, but as he turns it on to show you it's real, it
 seems it's not perfected yet...  When he hears that Jyad is building
 ships again he gets all-cool and wants to have his engine in one of
 his ships.  Later on, he introduces the "kymograph" (the WHAT?), and
 your party heads off to Jyad.

 So, Warp back to Aleyn and enter Jyad's house.  Talk to him and he'll
 be happy and whatnot, and decides to build another ship which can hold
 Lexis's engine.  It takes a while, so why don't you stay around in
 Treadool?


 TREADOOL REVISITED ---------------------------------------------------

 Back in Treadool, you'll notice this weird girl (which wasn't here
 before).  Talk to her, and she'll sell you a flower.  Soon after that,
 though, she faints!  She (Leefa) will be taken back to her home, and
 the team decides to stop monster hunting for a while and pick some
 flowers on the mountain south, whee!

 If you're not in a hurry, you might also want to start shopping
 around; there's some good stuff here.  Also, you might not want to
 forget about selling items, because your inventory is limited.


 THE FLOWER MOUNTAIN --------------------------------------------------

 Quite appropriately, this mountain is called the "Flower Mountain".
 Place a Bomb near the entrance to a cave.  Fight the Lunar Bear here
 if you want, then go through the door.  What you will then find is a
 blue chest, with the Hammer!  Equip this new skill and read the tile;
 it says that pillars can be moved with this and rocks can be smashed
 to pieces.

   Note:  Remember those rocks in the Alunze Northwest Cave?  This
          hammer is able to break them!  Before you continue, you might
          want to get the two items (Eron Hat and Tuff Buckler), as
          they have pretty good defensive stats.

 Those huge flower-like enemies are weak against Fire.  Tengus (those
 flying whackos) dislike Ice-attacks.

 In the next room (Flower Mountain that is) is a pair of enemies (the
 Hammer can also stun them).  The room that follows is likely designed
 to test out your Hammer skills.  Crush away the rocks, and then head
 outside.  In the next cave, use the Hammer again to place the pillar
 on the switch, then enter the new area.  Don't go to the right but
 enter the door, and go up the steps.  Go outside, fall down the ledge
 (arrows there), walk to the left and fall down again.  Inside, cross
 the monster-infested room, and head up.

 Cut the vines from the wall to find a secret entrance.  Inside, from
 the start, go to the left and search for a path to reach the chest
 with a Life Potion.  Then, go back to the entrance square and up, to
 find a path to a square without spike-holes.  From that square, use
 your Hammer to break the wall north of you, and head back outside of
 this chamber.  Enter it from the other side (the normal door) and find
 the path to the hidden room, with a Snake Rock!  Then search for a
 path to the stair set and go up twice.

 Use the healing tile.  Then, fall down using one of the weakened
 spots.  There are several of these spots, and where you'll land
 depends on which spot you've stepped on.  There's a Burn Sword to the
 right.  Be sure to take it, then head down to arrive outside again.
 Snatch the Flower Key from the blue chest, and then go to the right.
 Drop down the ledge, walk to the right, and drop down again.  Enter
 the nearest cave.

 Go up using either path, but make sure you'll eventually get to the
 area to the right, where the door is that requires a key.  Before you
 go there, though, you might want to do this.

 Capsule Monster -- "Raddisher":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   First is a puzzle room.  Step on the left switch, then walk to the
   blue warp by hugging the wall to the left (you can walk over the
   uppermost warp if you want).  Step on the middle switch, stay as
   close as possible to the left, and then enter the warp north.  As
   for the third one, I'm sure you can handle it yourself...  Now go
   all the way to the right, and break the wall.  Inside is a room with
   three chests, containing a Flying Ax, a Dragon Egg, and a Power
   Ring!  Nifty.

   Now go back and enter the other door.  Follow the path to arrive on
   top of the mountain, and hook yourself to the other side.  Here is a
   Capsule Monster waiting for you!  It's a Raddisher, and his name is
   "SULLY", or "Sully".  He's like Guy, super strong, but super slow
   too and he sucks in the magic department.  Though he's not good
   enough to substitute Dekar, he's my favorite Capsule Monster.

 Now go back to the room before the one with the spikes and warps, and
 go to the right.  Here is a door; use the Flower Key on it and follow
 the path with a whole lot of monsters.  At the end is a HP-recovery
 tile, as well as a save point.  Use both of them, and then head
 outside.  Hey, is this the flower Leefa wanted?  Nope, it's a monster,
 ha ha.  ^_^;  *farting noise*

 Boss Strategy -- Rogue Flower:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            3000    0      380    209    12000    20000   --

   You don't have to be too smart to figure out that this boss is weak
   against Fire...  Dude, just have Maxim with the Burn Sword, have
   Selan cast a few ATP-boosting things (Battle Lust, Trick) and he's
   dead before you know it...  As long as you use fiery attacks, the
   Rogue Flower is a rather small piece of a birthday cake.

 After you kill the flower, take the Pretty Flwr. he was "guarding",
 then Escape, then Warp to Treadool.  Back in Leefa's house, Selan
 gives it to Leefa as a present, and she gets to name it "Priphea".
 When done, go outside.

 Lexis is waiting at the docks (southwest).  Talk to him, and Jyad will
 race by with the new boat!  He gives it to Lexis for free, as long as
 he can work in his lab.  You'll discover the name of the boat:
 Excerion.  A moment after that, Lexis joins your party, and on the
 water you are!

   Note:  Two ways to go now: Forfeit Island, where there's a great
          casino, or to Dankirk and Auralio, to continue the storyline.
          I'd take a whack at the casino first, but you can always get
          to it later... if you want info on that, check section 3-B.
          Otherwise, this.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-P:  The Ruby Icon
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Dankirk is a quite a powerful kingdom, and the Queen wants to place
 her hands on the Ruby Icon.  Auralio, a distance south of Dankirk, is
 a shabby town with no real castle, but just a big house that does the
 trick.  Auralio also controls the gate, which leads to the outside
 world.  The two kingdoms have been in a war for a while now, but
 Auralio wants peace by giving Dankirk the Ruby Icon.

   Items:     Glass Angel; Hi-Magic, Earth Fruit, Fury Ribbon,
              Dankirk Key, Dragon Egg, Figgoru, Flame Jewel; VIP Card

   Monsters:  Ramia, Medusa, Mummy, Garbost, Shadow, Asashin, Vampire,
              Armour Dait, Desert Rose, Soldier

   Recommended Level:  34-36


 DANKIRK KINGDOM ------------------------------------------------------

 Enter Dankirk (south of the Flower Mountain, use Excerion).  Inside,
 there's a bunch to do: an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, and a Magic Shop
 downstairs.  The Church and Inn (40G) are also here.  You can talk to
 all of the people here, and you'll discover about this Ruby Icon, and
 in the throne room are the King and the Queen.  Talk to the King,
 he'll say that he'd never think that Auralio would give away that Ruby
 Icon.

 Now leave the castle.  You'll notice that two messengers of Auralio
 were looking for something they lost...  I wonder what that would be.
 If you now talk to Prince Leon (opposite of the throne room), you'll
 find out that the Ruby Icon has been stolen!  Talk to the King and the
 Queen, though, and they don't seem to know about it... hmmm...

 Eh, who are those I see, right of the castle?  Berty and Bart!  They
 don't seem to know about this Ruby Icon, they're just after the crown.
 Gah!  Oh well, if they don't have a Ruby Icon, just disregard them.


 A FAKE RUBY ICON -----------------------------------------------------

 Maxim remembers Jaffy, the glass blower in Clamento.  Now, warp to
 Clamento and talk to him.  Maxim asks Jaffy to re-make the Ruby Icon,
 from glass this time.  Luckily, it looks exactly the same, and he
 brings it back to Dankirk.

 Talk to Prince Leon, and he'll immediately notice that it's a fake.
 Fortunately, he thanks you and says he'll try to use this vitrescent
 duplicate to bring peace anyway.  At the ceremony, however, the Queen
 also notices that it's fake!  Her daughter, Princess Thea, comes in
 and explains everything to her.  The King wants to find the real one
 now, and summons this "James" to find it.  He's gone, however... and
 Maxim suspects he stole it.  Knowing he's gone to the North Dungeon,
 let's have a look there.


 DANKIRK NORTH DUNGEON ------------------------------------------------

 In the Dankirk North Dungeon, a man says James went in.  He'll also
 let you enter.  Inside, kill the Garbost if you want, then cut away
 the bushes to reveal a button.  Place the pot on it and the door
 opens; enter.

 First go through the upper-right door.  Also, watch out for those
 Ramias here... though they might appear to be cute, they know karate.
 Descend, then follow the path until you reach a dark, narrow and scary
 alley... step on the switch to form a bridge elsewhere, and then
 return to the big room.  Somewhere here is a switch; flip it to the
 other side so that the pillar three spaces above it goes down.  Use
 the arrow to drop down a level, get up the platform and use the Hook
 to reach the other side.  Now, follow the path until you reach the
 bridge you've made earlier.

 Cross it, then fall down the ledge.  Place a Bomb near the skull so a
 switch appears.  Step on it (or let the Desert Rose do that), then hit
 the nearby switch to a pile of arrows on B2 goes down.  Get on the
 platform with a Ramia, kill her if you feel like it, then cut away the
 vines.  There's a weak wall here, place a Bomb here three times (the
 Hammer has no effect).  Step on the switch to make another glass
 bridge, and then open the chests for a Hi-Magic and Earth Fruit.  Push
 the blocks out of the way and go up a floor.

 Back in the main room, go through the upper-left door and go down the
 stairs.  There's a room with a pillar and an eye here; should you walk
 past the eye, the door on the right closes!  Push the pillar in front
 of it and it won't see you.  In the next area, the hint tile says,
 "When all the switches are blue, the path will open."  As you can see,
 one line of spikes is gone so three switches are left.

 Go down and up, and whack the switch to get rid of another line of
 spikes.  Walk over the bridge, and go down one floor.  Walk through
 the narrow path, whip out Arrows or anything, then hit the levers on
 the other side of the chasm.  Continue to the east and you'll find a
 chest with a Fury Ribbon!  Bomb/Hammer the wall and you'll arrive in
 another weird area.

 Step on the tile and the three pillars blocking your way vanish.
 Continue; fight the monsters if you want.  There's a bunch of vines on
 the walls at the far side, cut them away to reveal eyes!  Use
 something sharp to close them (owch!), and the pillars disappear.  Now
 cut away the vines near the steps, torture it with an Arrow or
 something, and the red switch back there falls down.  Hit it to scare
 off another troop of spikes, then go down the steps above.  You'll
 arrive on B4, my friend.

 Here's a somewhat weird puzzle.  Step onto the warp, and then push the
 block on any of the two buttons.  Warp back, then get on the space you
 moved the block to.  Do the same for the other button and a bridge
 appears!  Cross it to find the Dankirk Key, and then warp.  Push the
 block back to where it originally was, and you can finally reach the
 switch!  Kick it to get rid of the last line of needles, and then go
 all the way back to where those needles were.

 Cross the now-crossable path and descend.  Watch out for the Asashin
 here, it's fast!  After you've fought him, and possibly the dragon
 fellow too, cut away that single bush there.  Walk into the hidden
 passageway, find a path that leads to the three chests and open them
 to get a Dragon Egg, Figgoru (Lexis) and Flame Jewel!  Go back, step
 on the tile in the upper-right corner, then go through the doorway.

 Walk around the room, cross the bridge (watch out for the Shadow and
 the Asashin), then pick up the roster to the left.  Fall down the gap
 and turn the switch all below.  Go up, cross the chasm (watch out for
 the Asashin, again), and go down the stairs.  The next room contains
 healing pods and a save point... about damn time that is!  Use them.

 Go down a room, and cross the bridge.  Hit the switch using an Arrow
 or your Hook (don't swing yourself to the other side!) to form the
 bridge on the left, and then get yourself there.  Mini-puzzle!  What
 you must do is to form an arrow by placing the blocks ("o") on the
 dark tiles (".").  I've made you a quick ASCII-diagram (albeit
 probably useless):

   Start:        Step 1:       Step 2:       Step 3:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯        ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
       .             .             o             o
       x             x             x             x
       x             x             x             x
     o x o         o x o o         x o o         x
   o   x   o     .   x   .     o   x   .     o   x   o
     o x o       o o x o         o x o         o x o
       .             .             .             o

 A bridge will be formed.  Cross it, fight the Armour Dait, and then go
 down one room.  Work your way through the hall and go down to arrive
 on B5.  Three monsters here; be sure to face the Asashin if you don't
 want a surprise-attack.  In the next room is another Asashin lurking,
 and a door that requires your Dankirk Key.  After you use it, you'll
 arrive in some sort of Shadow-infested maze.  Cross it, then follow
 the path to reach yet another save point.  Use it.


 THE TRAITOR ----------------------------------------------------------

 In the next area (which seems awfully familiar), watch out for the
 Asashin.  Go through the other door and you'll this James dude!  You
 will eavesdrop on him, while he's speaking to Prince Klaus(e) of
 Gratze Kingdom.  Of course, Maxim and co. stop him, and after Guy
 introduces the party members, the four soldiers attack.  HAHAHA!

 Boss Strategy -- A Few Retarded Soldiers:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            400     265    236    160    2500     1000    --

   Simple...  Have Selan and Lexis cast Trick or something, then let
   the others swing with whatever they're equipped with.  If you've
   taken the time to level up, then you're strong and it's not really
   needed to use IP-attacks.  If you haven't, then you probably need
   them.  Or probably not.

 After you've burned some soldier-ass, Prince Klaus(e) escapes.  He'll
 lock the door, so conveniently James stays trapped behind.  A moment
 later, you're in the throne room of Dankirk.

 James gets punished for what he's done, and it's peace!  After you
 sleep here and witness a sappy scene with Prince Leon and Princess
 Thea, you can leave the castle.  Go to Auralio to open the gate.


 AURALIO --------------------------------------------------------------

 There's nothing more to do on this continent, so let's head out with
 Excerion!  There's a Gate here, which needs to be opened, though.  Go
 to Auralio and talk to Prince Leon in his not-so-expensive castle, and
 he'll open it!  Now, talk to him again and he'll thank you by giving
 you a VIP Card... with this piece, you can visit the basement of the
 casino in Forfeit Island.  Refer to section 3-B for all the dirt.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-Q:  The Miserable Pebble
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Gate open, you're free!  Lots of things to do now; a whole new world
 (okay, not really) has opened up for you.  To continue storyline-wise,
 head over to the kingdom of Ferim, where you'll meet Hans, a person
 with a rather funny name.  Otherwise, read on...

   Items:     Stun Gun, Trial Key, Samu Jewel, Mysto Jewel

   Monsters:  Samurai, Ninja, Mad Head, Pumpkin Head, Hidora,
              Bone Gorem, Hades Skull

   Recommended Level:  34-39


 OPTIONAL / RANDOM BITS 'N PIECES -------------------------------------

 Now you have a boat and now the gate to the outside world is open,
 there's a whole lot of things you can do!  You can visit a bunch of
 towns and buy new weapons, and you now have access to level 3-spells
 (which are quite useful, indeed).  I'll cover some stuff here.  Of
 course, everything in this section is optional...

 Capsule Monster -- "Myconido":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Sail to the moon-shaped (okay, okay, the moon-silhouette-in-that-
   certain-point-of-view-shaped, or if you wish, banana-shaped) island.
   It's located a distance under the Triforce-shaped islands, and left
   of the island Barnan is on.  On the island, you will find the sixth
   Capsule Monster, which is "DARBI"!  Rename him to "Darbi" if you're
   a cool guy (*cough* like me), then continue exploring.

 For good weapons and armor, I suggest you head over to Barnan; you can
 get some great things there, unless you've trudged through the Ancient
 Cave many times already.  Durale (south of Barnan) offers better
 stuff, but since you're not even supposed to be there yet, they're
 "out of stock".  For good spells, visit Portravia, a port town with a
 big laboratory in the middle of it.  Go to the shop, head downstairs,
 and talk to the lady for level 3-spells!  They're Thunder and Dragon,
 and you can also get the strongest healing spell here, Valor!  The
 rest of the level 3-spells are found in the next kingdom, Ferim, which
 we'll go to now (to progress the story).


 FERIM KINGDOM --------------------------------------------------------

 Sail to Ferim Kingdom, which is a brief trip below Auralio.  It seems
 that this lady, Princess Jerit, has to marry this other dude from some
 unknown kingdom, Prince Eric.  Actually, she's in love with her
 bodyguard, Hans!  Jerit also set a condition on her marriage: bring
 back the gem from the top floor of the Northeast Tower.  Prince Eric,
 cowardly as he is, ordered Hans to get that gem.  Hmmm...  if you talk
 to the Princess, she'll say that it is impossible to get it...?

 Well, let's go to this Hans fellow (he's in the room next to Eric's)
 and talk to him.  He'll notice you being warriors and all, and also
 says that someone--possibly a Sinistral?--arrived on the Northeast
 Tower!  Then he's off to that tower to get the gem Jerit wants.  Why,
 let's follow him!

 Or if you haven't done it before, you can buy the spells Champion
 (very strong healing spell), Firebird and Ice Valk, to complete your
 collection of level 3-spells (the rest is in Portravia).


 NORTHEAST TOWER ------------------------------------------------------

 Enter and go through the door.  If you take the path north, you'll
 only wind up in a huge room with an assload of monsters.  So unless
 you're here to level up, bomb the wall to the right, then go up.  Walk
 down and go through the other door.  Use the Hammer to move the pillar
 one space to the left, then swing across (if you fall down, you'll
 arrive back in the entrance room).  Go outside, climb up the ladder,
 and then enter the door on the left.  Hit the two arrows with the
 sword, then push the lever so a bridge forms on the other side.  Go
 back outside and enter the other path.

 Cross the bridge.  Here's a Hidora; fight it if you want.  In the next
 room, watch out for the Ninja (they're just like the Asashins).  Go
 all the way to the left, past the Samurai, and open the chest to get a
 Stun Gun for Lexis.  After you equip it (or not), ascend the steps in
 the room below.

 Beat the Ninja, go outside, climb down, and go inside.  Mini-puzzle!
 Walk over a tile to change its color, and you'll need to turn them all
 to white.  Starting from the bottom entrance, go 1 up, 1 left, 2 up, 1
 right, 1 up, 1 left, 1 up, and you know the rest.  Go down the steps
 in the room that becomes accessible, watch for the Mad Head, and then
 open the chest for the Trial Key!

 Nothing much more to do here, so head all the way back to the room
 with the arrows and bridge.  This time, let the arrows face the left,
 enter the opposite of the room and hit the switch.  Cross the bridge
 that comes, go through the door and up a floor.  Here's a maze of some
 sorts...  Assuming you're starting from the stair set, do this:
 platform, platform, chest (Samu Jewel), switch, platform, switch
 (below), platform, chest (Mysto Jewel), platform, platform, switch,
 platform, switch, platform, and exit!

 Watch out for the Ninja here.  Work your way through the hall, go
 outside, and climb the ladder.  You'll arrive on the top floor of the
 tower, and inside is a pair of Samurais trapped in a cage.  Flip the
 levers when the Samurais are in place, then go through the door when
 it's open.  You'll arrive in a chamber with Hans!  Why doesn't he
 move...?


 AMON: MASTER OF CHAOS ------------------------------------------------

 Talk to Hans.  He seems to be paralyzed, and then the party feels the
 power of something greater than Gades!  Another Sinistral then comes
 in... it's Amon, Master of Chaos.  You'll learn the names of the
 remaining Sinistrals: Erim and Daos.  Guy tries to take him on, but
 fails...  He warns all of you, then leaves.

 After that the team gets the stone from behind the door.  However, it
 seems to be just some worthless, stupid, insignificant, ordinary
 stone!  Hans takes it with him, and walks back to the castle.  Maxim
 and co., of course, use magic to Warp back, though Hans seems to be
 there already.  Video game voodoo, that is!


 PRINCESS JERIT'S STONE -----------------------------------------------

 Go to Ferim Kingdom, and head over to the throne room.  There, Prince
 Eric gets pissed at Hans for bringing such a stupid piece of stone.
 Lucky for him, his servant gives him a sapphire, and he'll use it as
 if he's the one who found it on the tower.  Of course, the Princess
 knows this is just a piece of crap, and then Hans comes in and gives
 her the real stone!  Okay, everything's settled, and Eric is disposed
 of.  Whew!

 Right after the good news, a messenger comes in and bumps into Guy.
 He then says that a single man destroyed entire Agurio!  Having very
 strong suspicions that it's Amon, they head off.


 AGURIO DESTROYED -----------------------------------------------------

 Get yourself to Agurio, which is north of the Northeast Tower; the
 guard in the Small Shrine to Agurio will let you pass.  In the small
 village, you'll notice a whole bunch of destroyed buildings and all.
 Survivors: none...  In front of the Church is Iris.  She'll tell you
 that Amon is too strong for you and that you'll be destroyed...

 However!  There is this legend of a Dual Blade that amplifies your
 energy waves so you still might stand a chance...  After the five give
 the people a final resting place, Maxim heads off--now trying to find
 the Dual Blade.  Iris said a ball of light landed south of here, maybe
 that's Amon?


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-R:  The Submarine
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 In true RPG tradition, you would halfway obtain a boat, and in the
 last stages of the game you'd get an airship.  But not here!  Instead,
 you will get a submarine too, which is rather cool.  While Lexis and
 his flunkies are practically ready to convert your ship immediately,
 it's impossible because of some stupid elf kid.

   Items:     Aqua Sword

   Monsters:  Mad Ent, Wheel Eel, Desert Rose, Gargoyle

   Recommended Level:  39


 TREBLE ---------------------------------------------------------------

 Go to Treble, which is short distance below Ferim.  When you enter,
 you see a bunch of people in groups all talking about that one ball of
 light...  They seem scared too.  There's also a kid talking about a
 lab with weird inventors and all...  Guy's remarks are quite funny,
 heh.

 There's the usual town crap: Inn (20G), Church (there's a man there
 who tells you about the Dragon Eggs), Item Shop, Weapon/Armor Shop,
 and a lot of frightened people.  Anyway, let's get over to this weird
 lab the kid spoke about.


 KIRMO LABORATORY -----------------------------------------------------

 Go to Portravia, a port town south of Treble.  Explore the village if
 the need arises, then enter Kirmo's lab.  In the basement, talk to the
 fellow with the green hair (Kirmo), and after the chat with Lexis,
 he'll ask you if he may remodel Excerion!  Of course, you say yes.
 When they're about to start, though, they notice an elf child in
 flagrante delicto: without permission rummaging around!  It seems that
 she stole the plans, and I guess we have no choice but to get them
 back...  Whew, you're not lucky these days!

 Outside, if you talk to the people, you'll learn that to reach an elf
 village, you'll need to cross the Mountain of No Return.  Others tell
 you about a kid running off to there.  Why, let's follow this thief!
 The mountain is southeast of Portravia.


 MOUNTAIN OF NO RETURN ------------------------------------------------

 In the first cave are two horse statue, which I'll just call Horses.
 If you walk in their sight, you'll be blown back.  Just move the right
 Horse one space up so you can pass them from behind.  In the next room
 is a somewhat more complicated one.  If you can't figure it out,
 here's a solution: place the pillar between the two Horses in front,
 then push the left Horse a couple of spaces down (not against the
 wall).  Push the other Horse two spaces up, then all the way to the
 left.  Move the pillar three spaces up, and also to the left.  Then
 get the last movable Horse in front of the Horse in the upper-right
 corner, so you can continue!

 Go up the stairs, go outside, and enter the other cave.  There's a
 bunch of "green" enemies here, use Fire-spells (did you buy the
 Firebird-spell?) to hit hard.  Through the door, up, and outside.
 Cross the bridge, and then enter the other cave.  Go down the steps to
 arrive in another room inhabited by Horses in unpleasantly large
 numbers!  Your goal here is to get to the lower-right corner to exit,
 though there's also a chest with an Aqua Sword to tag on your way.

 I don't know about you, but the way to cross the room I'd use is this
 one: go all the way to the right until you get blocked.  Move the
 Horse a couple of spaces below you one space down, then move the Horse
 right of you all the way to the right.  Now, push the Horse below you
 all the way down until you get blocked by another Horse, and push THAT
 Horse down too.  Open the chest for an Aqua Sword.  As for the way to
 the exit: go to the left wall, then down.  Move the first Horse you
 come across one space up.  Go to the right, then up, and move the
 Horse there to the right.  Back down, move the Horse all the way to
 the right until you reach the door.


 ARTEA AND MILKA ------------------------------------------------------

 Be sure to strip Lexis of all his equipment now (or at least, the good
 equipment).  Outside, you'll witness the kid thief.  After she notices
 you, she runs off, though four monsters then attack her...  Though the
 party would love to see them rip the girl apart, she still has the
 blueprints we need.

 Boss Strategy -- Four Gargoyles:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            1000    297    280    214    3000     3000    --

   Not absurdly hard, but not easy either.  Though preparation isn't
   absolutely needed, it can help...  The Gargoyles are Flying, so use
   items that are effective (Flying Ax, etc.).  If the battle is too
   hard, you might want to cast effect spells (Trick, etc.).  Be sure
   to concentrate on one baddy instead of spreading out your attacks,
   and try to heal everyone with less than 50% of their max HP.

 After saving the girl, she's just about to yell at you or Artea, some
 other elf, appears.  He orders the kid (Milka) to give back the plans,
 and Lexis discovers the reason: the lab was draining ooze!  As the
 girl gives the plans back, Lexis promises him everything's gonna be
 alright.  He then leaves your party (I have awesome telepathic powers
 and I can read your mind; you're thinking, "FINALLY!!") to work on the
 ooze and stuff.

 However!  Two other elves appear to inform Artea that this evil ball
 of light landed near their village...  Though he doesn't like it,
 Artea Warps back with Maxim to the village--Eserikto.  There, you'll
 discover that this woman "Karyn" got kidnapped, and that the force
 went to the Divine Shrine...  After you've heard that there are some
 cool swank strong-making things there that only Karyn can access,
 Artea (in short, "Arty", but in the FAQ he's just "Artea") joins!  For
 your information: this is the party you'll be stuck with until the end
 of the game.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-S:  The Sealed Power
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Upon arriving in Eserikto, you discovered that this girl "Karyn" got
 kidnapped, and that was Artea's reason to join you!  Suspecting it's
 Amon, and knowing that Karyn can access some sealed forces, Maxim
 heads off to the Divine Shrine.

   Items:     Revive Armor, Heart Key, Rocket Ring, Dragon Egg,
              Holy Whip; Secret Fruit, Secret Fruit

   Monsters:  Iron Gorem, Cokatoris, Coridras, Red Plant, Gargoyle,
              Rogue Shape, Tartona, Brinz Lizard

   Recommended Level:  40-42


 TO THE DIVINE SHRINE! ------------------------------------------------

 Before you go TO THE DIVINE SHRINE! you can explore around to see if
 there's some useful stuff.  The Item/Weapon/Armor Shop, for instance,
 offers a Trident; a quite powerful spear for Guy (if you don't have a
 better one already, of course).  Sleep at the Inn if you need (for
 free), and be sure to have taken a look in the Magic Shop; at least
 buy Fry for Artea if you've got some spare cash.  When done, head
 southwest to the Divine Shrine.

 Inside, get past the Brinz Lizard (which sometimes drops a jewel you
 can take into the Magic Cave) and Red Plant somehow, and go down the
 steps.  You'll arrive in an absurdly annoying maze of some sorts; you
 will see what I mean.  I TRIED to make it somewhat readable guiding
 you via steps (starting from the entrance platform):

 1.  This step gets you a Revive Armor, and can be skipped.  Whip out
     the Hook, and swing to the left, up, left, and up.  Push the
     pillar all the way to the top, then fly to the left, and down.
     Follow the path, push the pillar out of the way, walk down and use
     the Hook on the stake below you.  Go left, up, and ascend the
     stairs.  Here is the thing you want: a Revive Armor!  Head back to
     the main room and Hook yourself against the nearest stake to fall
     down.  Return to the entrance platform.

 2.  Of the two pillars above you, swoosh to the right one.  Go to the
     right, then up.  Again, there are two pillars, this time Hook to
     the left one.  Go to the left and go up the stairs twice.  Walk
     all the way north and you'll eventually find, besides a Iron
     Gorem, a Heart Key!  Get back to the main room, fall down, and go
     to the entrance platform.

 3.  Again, of the two pillars above you, swing to the right one.  Then
     go to the right, then up.  See that movable pillar over there?
     Get there and push it all the way to the top.  Walk back, Hook to
     the left, then down, and walk to the left.  Now swing up, then
     left, and walk to the end to see a lever.  Use the Hook to switch
     it, and get on the platform comes up.  Use the Hook on the pillar
     you've moved a moment earlier, and lastly, swing to the upper-
     right corner.  Go up the stairs.  Two things you can do now:

 4.  Rocket Ring: there are two sets of six pots here.  Of the left
     set, pick up the lower-right one for the spikes to vanish.  Go
     through the path and you'll find a Rocket Ring!  Fall down the
     ledge and return to the entrance platform.  Now, follow the
     previous step to return to the room with the pots.

 5.  Pick up the pots in the lower-right corner; one of them covers a
     weak spot.  Fall down!  You'll arrive in the main room.  Swing
     left, walk down, swing left, walk down, swing left, down, right,
     right, up.  Go up the stairs.

 Go up the stairs again to arrive on 2F.  Through the door, through the
 door, and walk through the wall.  The flames on the wall will light up
 automatically when you walk past them.  In the next room is a
 Coridras, fight it or not, then go on.  There's a button on the wall,
 see?  Stand on the platform and use an Arrow (or Hook) to get to the
 other side.  Follow the path.  You'll arrive in a room with a
 Cokatoris; these dudes drop Life Potions if you're lucky!  When done,
 head into the hall, go to the far side, and go up the stairs.

 In this room is a weak wall.  Use a Bomb or your Hammer and go inside
 the revealed chamber.  What you gotta do here is to step on the notes
 so you hear the "...ordered scale of the tune."  Solution: 3 2 4 1 5.
 At the end is a chest with a Dragon Egg!  This SHOULD be the last one.
 Wait, we're not done; Hammer or Bomb the wall at the end away
 (secret!) for a path to a Holy Whip!  Equip it, of course, and you
 shall feel happy.


 KARYN'S SACRIFICE ----------------------------------------------------

 Go outside, down, and to the right.  Use the Heart Key on the door to
 get in another hall.  Wait, the door is locked, what now?  Simple!
 Use the Hammer to get the two pillars on their place.  Go through the
 door, and you'll overhear Amon and Karyn.  As you come in, Amon tries
 to squish you, but Karyn seems to have a lot of power and almost
 squishes him.  Even though she sacrificed her life for it, it wasn't
 enough...

 Karyn passes away, and asks Artea to look after Milka.  With his IP-
 meter bumped to the max, he joins your party permanently (though he
 never left) to avenge Karyn!  You can now go through the unsealed room
 to gain the sealed power (but you can also skip it for later).  Your
 stats and HP/MP, whatever, will be upped!  Always useful.  Use Escape
 and head back to Eserikto.  When finished here, get over to Portravia.


 THE SUBMARINE --------------------------------------------------------

 Talk to Lexis in Kirmo's lab and he'll say that Excerion is finished
 and ready to use!  He'll say that some ball of light went under the
 sea near the town Barnan.  You can go underwater by pressing A when on
 the sea.  Let's make use of this thing by...

 Capsule Monster -- "Red Fish":
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Warp to Parcelyte; as you can see, the boat now warps with you
   (contrary to before).  Get in Excerion, and go underwater.  Go down
   and then left to see a hole in the water, get in there!  There's a
   bunch of whirlpools here, two of them contain a chest with Secret
   Fruit, and the other one contains the Red Fish!  The name is "ZEPPY"
   and should be changed to "Zeppy".  Whee!

     Note:  I don't know how the programmers could overlook this, but
            the name of this cave is royally messed up.  Instead of
            calling it the " U e MoV T Cave", I'll name it Zeppy's
            Cave.

 Zeppy is the last Capsule Monster.  If you've missed a monster before,
 you can check out 4-B for more info on how to get them, and that
 section also includes information on fruits and all...  Now, leave.
 Time for a new chapter!


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-T:  An Evil Spirit
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Barnan is northwest of Eserikto, west of Portravia.  To sum up what
 the people here say: the mysterious ball of light went to the Shrine
 of Vengeance southwest of here.  If you need to, shop, sleep (50G) or
 anything, then head to the shrine.

   Items:     Power Robe, Freeze Sword, Boom Sword, Ghost Key,
              Heal Armor, Bright Armor, Evil Jewel, Cursed Bow

   Monsters:  Hade Chariot, Wizard, T-Rex, Waiban, Fiend, Nosferato,
              Vampire, Demise, Jurahan, Hades Skull, Samurai,
              Dark Warrior, Venge Ghost

   Recommended Level:  43-45


 SHRINE OF VENGEANCE --------------------------------------------------

 But, upon entering, you'll see that the entrance room is all broken!
 You can't enter...  But!  We have a new submarine right there, maybe
 you can use that?  Yes, you can!  Dive to the hole near the shrine and
 into the whirlpool.  You'll arrive in B1; go up the stairs to arrive
 at the entrance.

 Two switches and a lever here.  If one switch is green and the other
 is red, and you switch the lever, the wall will move away from the red
 switch so a door gets uncovered; hit the switch there to green so that
 door opens.  Reveal the door on the left, open it, and enter it.
 Follow the path, select your Hammer, and push the pillar you see one
 space to the left.  Use the Hook on it (if you fall into the chasm,
 you'll fall into a room with enemies!).  Go through the door and go
 one floor down to arrive in the basement.

 A Hade(s?) Chariot and Wizard are here.  Beat 'em up, or avoid them,
 whatever.  Go northeast, through the door.  Here's a button, a pot,
 and a Demise on the other side of the room.  Walk in such a way as to
 get him stuck between the spikes, and place the pot on the button.
 When successful, head into the next area with a Nosferato and Hade
 Chariot.  Get past them and go down the steps.

 You can walk through the wall to the right--there's a hidden room with
 a lever there!  Pull the lever so a stake elsewhere goes up, and go
 back through the door.  Fall down the ledge here.  Instead of going
 through the door to the right (leads to the Demise you've seen
 earlier), go up the steps.  That green fat Ozzie-like enemy there is a
 Fiend... they hit hard, so you'll want to avoid them if you're not too
 strong.

 Go to the left and read the hint tile; it says, "Shoot Arrows!"  Hey,
 hey, this is TOO simple these days!  Okay, get on that special tile
 there and fire off an Arrow (for some odd reason, you HAVE to be on
 that tile).  A bridge falls down!  Cross it.  North of you is a chest,
 use your Hook on the stake to reach it.  If that stake ain't there,
 use Reset, through the door, through the wall on the right.  The chest
 contains a Power Robe.

 Follow the path to the next room.  The hint tile says, "When the flame
 goes out, the path will open."  Simple!  Push the pillars into the
 water there, causing the other side to unrealistically rise.  The
 flame goes out, and the spikes disappear!  Hmmm... there's ANOTHER
 light here... wonder what that's for?  Plant a Bomb there or Hammer it
 out, and another path opens!  This time, two chests, containing a
 Freeze Sword and a Boom Sword.  Hooray!  Equip them and go back into
 the warp.  Go back to the entrance room (use Escape if you're REALLY
 lazy :P).

 Now get the left switch green and the right one red, pull the lever,
 and open the door.  Inside is, besides a Waiban, Hades Skull (damage
 by using a strong healing spell) and T Rex, a door.  Go through.  Fear
 the Dark Warriors (they look like Samurais), they're quite strong.  Go
 down the steps, and meet some familiar-looking blocks!  Push two
 blocks of the same color on the dark tiles, and then make sure the
 color of the switch corresponds with them.  Push the others on the
 tiles, hit the switch, and behold...  It's the Ghost Key!  Go back.

 Circle around to the left and go up the stairs.  Go through the door,
 too.  Ah, to the left is the locked door... and you have the key!
 But, it's blocked.  So go for the other path, and you'll eventually
 get into a room with walls that REALLY need to be repaired...  Too
 bad, since Maxim the Demolisher arrived to blow this piece up.  Two of
 the places contain paths; the first one (starting from the right)
 holds a chest with a Heal Armor, the last one the path to the locked
 door.  Good!  Sling the key into the door and enter.

 Go down the stairs and walk on the square platform; it rides you to
 the other side.  Go up the stairs, grab some Bombs and place them near
 the broken pillar.  Also place one near the skulls for a weak spot to
 appear; fall down.  Now, walk all the way to the left, past the
 Waiban.  See those two half-broken pillars there?  Blow them up, and
 the ladder becomes accessible.  Climb it and go up the stairs, twice.

 Now instead of going to the right, I'd take the left path first.  A
 weak wall (though not quickly noticeable) is there.  Blast it away,
 and go up the stairs twice.  A Hade Chariot is here, and behind him is
 a weak wall!  VERY easy to miss...  Place a BOOM there or Hammer away,
 then get the all-popular Bright Armor there.  Proceed upstairs to
 additionally find a (cursed) Evil Jewel.

 Now head back outside.  All the way to the right is a pillar that so
 desperately desires to experience the impact of a Hammer...  Please
 it, then a bridge appears for you.  Go to the right and go through the
 door.  There's a green carpet inhabited by a Wizard, and a red carpet
 inhabited by a motherload of wrinkles.  With that block over there,
 you can iron the carpet.  Do so, and the door opens!  Wondering what
 the hell un-wrinkling a carpet has to do with opening a door, Maxim
 goes to the next room to find a save point and healing pods.  Use all
 three of them, and head into the next rooms to find some form of evil
 energy.

 Boss Strategy -- Venge Ghost:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            7500    2000   250    360    20000    50000   --

   There's one thing I want to mention first: healing magic.  This
   doesn't do a lot of damage to him, but ABSURDLY MUCH damage.  Did
   you get the Power Robe?  Its IP--Sacred Song, requires 25% IP--does
   a whoppin' 2745 damage!  Did you get the Heal Armor?  The IP of that
   one--Rebirth, requires about 87.5% IP--is worth 3660 damage, BANG!!
   Valor is only good for 925 damage.  And though this might sound
   obvious: be sure to direct the attacks TO YOUR ENEMY.

   Knowing that this ghost is pure evil, you might be able to guess
   that also Holy-magic severely damages him.  However, don't let Artea
   use Fry or Zap, let him unleash with Sacred Song or Valor each
   round.  Also, equipping the Undead Ring will do significantly more
   damage to the ghost, so keep that in mind.

   Ahem...  I think that's enough tips, let's talk about the ghost
   himself.  Well, he's fast, probably faster than you.  He uses
   attacks like Thunder, Firebird, etc. which hurt.  He's also able to
   confuse your party members, which is not cool, and his instant-kill-
   attacks aren't funny too.  Sometimes he does "Hatred"; throw away a
   turn.  Pleasant, that one is.  He has 7500 HP.  To defeat him in one
   round, have the required IP-percentages, have Maxim use Rebirth and
   Guy attack for at least 170 HP damage (or vice versa).  Let Selan
   use Sacred Song and Artea use Valor (or vice versa)... and gone is
   what the boss is.

 Another reward is in the room in the back... it's a Cursed Bow!
 It's... cursed.  Don't use it in battle.  Instead, you should lift the
 curse.  To do that, you have to go back to Barnan.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-U:  The Mirror Of Truth
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Hi, reader.  As I'm writing this, I'm slapping myself for having an
 abundant Overview section for every chapter.  Read further to see what
 the chapter is all about.  Oh, uselessness!

   Items:     Super Sword, Song Rock, Ghost Ring, Ghostclothes,
              Truth Key

   Monsters:  Cyclops, Serfaco, Grianos, Gorgon, Basilisk, Seirein,
              Nail Armor, Tartona, Thunderbeast, Lunar Bear, Sly Fox,
              Hidora, Sea Hidora, Mimic, White Dragon

   Recommended Level:  46-48


 IRIS'S CHALLENGE -----------------------------------------------------

 Back in Barnan, you'll notice Iris.  If you don't notice her, either
 put on your glasses or smack your head on a table.  Talk to her, and
 she'll want to speak with you--alone--about something...  Selan, the
 lovely but tough wife she is, doesn't trust this.  Iris tells her to
 prove that the bond between her and Maxim is true, by going to the
 Tower of Truth south...  Maxim then gets his butt verbally kicked
 (quite funny scene too), and it is decided to go to the tower.

 Anyway, you're still stuck with this Cursed Bow...  Equip it on Artea
 if you haven't done it before, and then head over to the Church.  Ask
 the dude there to lift the curse (3125G) and the bow turns into Arty's
 Bow!  Great.  Note that even though other weapons for Artea may be
 stronger, this bow hits all enemies at once--handy, that.

 Now sail to Durale, which is directly south of Barnan.  All people
 there tell you all about the Tower of Truth... lovely.  There's an
 Item/Weapon/Armor Shop here, as well as a Magic Shop; they're open
 now.  Though there's better stuff in Chaed (which you can access now
 with the sub), the Magic Shop has a really destructive and expensive
 spells: Zap.  If you've got some cash, buy it.  When you're satisfied
 with all, head to the...


 TOWER OF TRUTH -------------------------------------------------------

 In the first room, watch out for the Seirein (the cute girl walking
 around), she has some dangerous attacks (but sometimes drops a jewel
 so you can use the attack yourself).  Don't blast the wall on the left
 but go through the door.  Step on the switch to the right, then step
 on the musical notes in the order the pillars are in (3 2 1 4).  The
 door opens, leading to a room with a Sea Hidora, leading to a room
 with a switch.  Hit the switch, and return to the entrance room.

 This time, bomb your way through the wall on the left.  Select the
 Hook and pull yourself to the stake north of you.  Go through the door
 and up the stairs.  Then go down, and you'll find a Seirein guarding
 the door below.  You can choose to avoid her (be sure to stun her
 then), but defeating her invites four Sea Hidoras, ouch...  In the
 next room, fight the Grianos if you want, and go through the door.
 Hey, the Blockheads are back!

 Okay, here's what to do: use an Arrow/Hook to his the switch to BLUE,
 and then walk to the right.  Walk down, past the first Blockhead, and
 then hit the switch from the right (use R) to proceed.  Don't walk all
 the way down here, hit the switch first or you'll get stuck...  That
 block here is only if you want to return, and isn't needed now.  Go
 outside.

 Hmmm, that's a lotta floors you can access now.  I guess you might as
 well enter the first one, 3F.  Swing to the right, go up, and find a
 weak spot somewhere among the white tiles.  Fall down, and break down
 the wall at the end of the room you'll fall in.  Open the chest for a
 Super Sword; equip it (Selan) if needed.  There's another wall you can
 break; do so.  Pull yourself to the left, and follow the path to
 outside again.

 Now visit 4F.  There are two buttons here; each gives you a different
 tune.  And one of them is the right one, says the hint tile.  Erm, I
 will just spare you the trouble; the right one is the one you should
 have.  Step on the right button, head into the next room, and step on
 the musical notes (3 2 4 1 5, where 5 is the one in the middle; use
 the Hook).  The spikes will disappear, and you can proceed to 3F.  Go
 through the room and place the crate on the button closest to the door
 you want to go through; in this case it's the left one (if you feel
 the odd sensation to go through the right one, do so--there's a chest
 there!), leading to stairs.  These stairs lead to a huge room
 populated by an unpleasantly large number of monsters.

 First, you might want to go to the lower-left corner of the room,
 where you will find three chests, containing a Song Rock, Ghost Ring
 and Ghostclothes.  Plunder them, and then head north for a door.  Go
 up the stairs (two Armour Nails here), through the door here, and it
 is puzzle time again!  In case you want to get out of here as fast as
 possible without intellectual effort, here's what to do:

 Place the two objects on the right on the buttons on your left.  Go
 over the bridge, and place the block on the button below it.  Go back
 and place the vase on the button past the bridge on the right.  Get
 the crate on the button two bridges ahead.  Walk to the right and get
 the block on the upper button.  Go back, and place the crate on the
 next button.  Plant a bomb there and go over the bridge (and don't
 plummet down, into the monster-room), and voila!  You can go trough
 the door for a Truth Key.

 Go back and to the far right for, besides an Armour Nail, a shortcut
 to the exit.  Go back outside by taking the right door in the room
 with the crate and two pots.  On your way is a Mimic.  Climb to the
 top floor, and use the Truth Key to reach stairs leading to 6F.  First
 go north for a save point, then go south.  Follow the path and you'll
 eventually see Iris before a door.  Maxim and Selan enter for the
 test, but promise that they'll trust each other no matter what.  But!
 Monsters come in and there's no time to look in the mirror...  They
 step back, Iris notes that their images appear in the mirror, and a
 fight starts.

 Boss Strategy -- Three White Dragons:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            550     350    352    300    4000     4820    Holy Fruit

   There are three of them.  Though they are fast, they have puny HP so
   they're defeated easily.  Use Firebird, but don't waste your time
   with Ice-attacks.  Just attack and attack, they'll be gone soon...

 After the fight, Guy will point out the OBVIOUS.  The Mirror of Truth
 seems to have been broken while fighting, so it can't be used again.
 When they leave, Iris returns to the room (oh, didn't I tell you she
 left again?) and mumbles something about her mission being ended,
 knowing Maxim and Selan's feelings are true...  Also, someone else
 shows up in the mirror--I wonder who that is?  Anyway, let's head back
 to Durale (you can't go back to the mirror).

 But in Durale, everyone will just tell you to go to Chaed.  They say
 that a dragon resides on that island.  They say that there's an old
 man who knows about an underwater city.  They say that Chaed is west
 of here.  They say that you should listen to them or else you die.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-V:  The Fire Dragon
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The Dragon Mountain!  Being the biggest dungeon in the game (that is,
 excluding the Ancient Cave), it's filled with a buttload of puzzles.
 While this might be extremely obnoxious for some, let's not forget
 that the World's Most Difficult Trick is located here!  Plenty o' time
 you can waste... er, SPEND here.

   Items:     Sonic Ring, Magma Key, Magic Scale, S-Pro Ring, Miracle,
              S-Mind Ring, Angry Ring, Kraken Rock, S-Witch Ring,
              Hipower Ring, Gorgon Rock, Lizard Blow, Legend Helm,
              Mega Shield, Holy Robe, S-Myst Ring, S-Power Ring,
              Miracle, Hidora Rock, Miracle; Mermaid Jade

   Monsters:  Crow, Behemoth, Red Dragon, Green Dragon, Brokion,
              Salamander, Magma Gorem, Hidora, High Hidora, Sea Hidora,
              Fire Dragon

   Recommended Level:  49-51


 CHAED ----------------------------------------------------------------

 To get to Chaed, you'll need to dive underwater so you can drive under
 the rocks.  In the town, you'll find people talking about the elder
 going to the Dragon Mountain, and that the mountain is gonna blow;
 maybe it's the Fire Dragon causing all the trouble.  What's wrong
 about this picture?  An old man trying to stop a dragon?  Oh, I get
 it!  You have to save him, so head to the mountain.

 Or, let him wait a little longer.  You can buy some weapons if you
 need to, at the Weapon/Armor Shop.  There's an Item Shop too, an Inn
 (20G), and a Church.  When ready, go to the Dragon Mountain.


 DRAGON MOUNTAIN ------------------------------------------------------

 The thing you'll immediately notice is a blue chest!  It contains the
 key, you can guess.  However, it's on a cliff so you can't reach it.
 Ah, a perfect moment to use a Power Balloon!  But you don't have one,
 so never mind.  Go in the first cave for a dead-end, or visit the
 second cave to continue.  There's a Crow and a Behemoth here, fight it
 you want to.  In the next room is puzzle number one!  You have to cut
 away, burn away, or blow away the bushes before they grow back (3
 steps).  It's easy, but in case you're stumped, don't worry--I'm here!
 Here's an ASCII-diagram, where "o" is a bush and "x" a bomb:

   Start:      Step 1:     Step 2:     Step 3:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯     ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯     ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
     o o o       o o o       o o o       . . .
       o o         x x     x x x x         . .
     o   o       o   o     x o   o       .   .
   o           o           o           .

 The door opens.  Go through there and find... a Sonic Ring!  If you
 have a Rocket Ring, this piece is worthless.  But anyway, plant the
 Hook in the stake on the right and go up the stairs.  There's a "Drop
 Up Elevator" here.  Nope, you don't need to lure an enemy onto that
 huge platform, just go up the stairs on the left.  Cross the gap by
 using the Hook, to find an I-Shall-Follow-You-type Behemoth.  Lure it
 onto the four weak spaces, and it'll crash down, making the elevator
 go up!  Now, instead of going up to another dead-end, go down through
 the door.  Cross the monster-filled room and go outside.

 Go to the left and swing over the chasm.  Go in the cave, down the
 steps, through the door, down the steps, through the door (THIS is
 getting boring).  You'll then find three monsters surrounding a weak
 spot in the ground...  If you're the level up-type guy, attack them in
 the back to get an extra round.  Before you drop into the hole, be
 sure to go outside first!  There's a cool blue chest here, with the
 Magma Key.  Throw it into your inventory, and then drop down the hole.

 It's a shortcut, leading to the entrance of the mountain.  Go outside
 and walk all the way up to the third cave.  Here is a Venus Fly, and
 the locked door!  Use the Magma Key, and then arm yourself with a
 Hammer and a Hook.  While switching between them, first get on the
 lower-right platform.  Then go to left, then up, then up.  Here are
 three chests containing a Magic Scale, S-Pro Ring and a Miracle!  From
 the platform you're on, swing to the upper-right one, then swing down,
 then go to the right to reach the stair set.

 Next is another puzzle!  This is one of the most frustrating and
 annoying puzzles of the game, and requires a lot of planning and a
 good memory.  Or, this freakin' great walkthrough from your favorite
 FAQ author!  ...scratch the last remark, here's the solution.  Your
 starting point is the tile with the arrow pointing to the door.

   Key      -- "U/D/L/R" = walk in direction; "(U/D/L/R)" = turn into
               direction using the R-button; "F" = fire a Fire Arrow
   Solution -- RDDDDD(L)F, LF, DR(U)F, LLLL(D)F, UF, RRRR(U)F, (D)F,
               LL(D)F, RR(U)F, LU(L)F, DL(U)F, (D)F, RR(U)F

 Go outside, ascend, and go in the cave.  From here, you can go to the
 World's Most Difficult Trick, or just continue.  I'll first cover the
 continuation to get some items, and then we'll go to the puzzle.

 Okay, so swoop down the stairs, use the save point, then there are two
 paths you can take.  Take a left first, be sure your HP-meter is full,
 and you'll find three chests and a plethora of monsters here.  The
 chests contain an S-Mind Ring, Angry Ring, and a Kraken Rock.  Equip
 them if you want to, and then take the right stairs.

 Go down a couple of floors to arrive in a lava-filled screen.  Before
 you go left to the ice blocks, take a right and sling the Hook into
 the stake on the other side.  Cross the bridge (at the end is a group
 of monsters).  Follow the path, and at the end are two chests with an
 S-Witch Ring and a Hipower Ring!  Return and go to the ice blocks.
 Kick them in the lava for a path to the left, and then do the same
 with the other two blocks (stand in the upper-left corner and throw a
 block, facing left, then throw the second while facing up).  Now bump
 both blocks left of the upper-left corner of the lower platform.

 Fight the enemies if they're blocking your path, go up the ladder, do
 not go over the bridge.  First go north, and screw the weak wall.
 Inside is a chest with a Gorgon Rock.  Okay!  There are two ways you
 can go now; if you don't mind skipping the World's Most Difficult
 Trick, and four other chests, go over the bridge and continue at "The
 Fire Dragon".  Otherwise, return to the save point, save, then read
 on.


 OPTIONAL / THE WORLD'S MOST DIFFICULT TRICK --------------------------

 Bomb the wall to the right.  Wait, it's a self-regenerating wall?
 Weird...  You'll need to place Bombs strategically so you can ignite
 the bomb consecutively.  If you can't figure it out, here's how you
 can do it (the starting point is the square in front of the wall).

   Key      -- "U/D/L/R" = walk in direction; "B" = place a Bomb
   Solution -- B, LDB, RRB, ULBLB, RBRB

 When done, go inside the small room and drop down the hole.  Go all
 the way downstairs and talk to the lady (how did SHE get here?) who
 asks you if you want to try the puzzle.  Say yes and she'll explain
 what you got to do and the controls and all.  I'll give you the
 solution, but it is highly recommended to try it out yourself.

   Note:  I've stolen... err, BORROWED this from Iron Knuckle--a person
          with the alias "Simpleton" contributed it to his FAQ, and the
          reformatted version is listed below:

   Start:        Step 1:       Step 2:       Step 3:       Step 4:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯        ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2
   1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2       1 0 0 2
   3 9 9 4           9 9       9 9               8 6       8 6 3 4
   3 5 6 4       3 5 6 4       7 3 6 4       9 9 3 4           3 4
   7     8       3 7 8 4       5 3 8 4       5 7 3 4       9 9 5 7

   Step 5:       Step 6:       Step 7:       Step 8:       Step 9:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯       ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   1 0 0 2       8 1 0 0       8 0 0 2       0 0 2 7       0 0 7 4
   1 0 0 2       6 1 0 0       6 0 0 2       0 0 2 5       0 0 5 4
   8 3 4 7         3 7 2       3 1 4 7       8 6 4         8 6   2
   6 3 4           3 4 2       3 1 4 5       3 1 4         3 1   2
   9 9   5       9 9 4 5           9 9       3 1 9 9       3 1 9 9

   Step 10:      Step 11:      Step 12:      Step 13:      Step 14:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   7 5 8 4       7 5 8 4       7 5 4 2       3 7 4 2       3 7   4
   0 0   4       3 0 0 4       3 8 4 2       3 5 4 2       3 5   4
   0 0   2       3 0 0 2       3 0 0         1   0 0       1 0 0 2
   3 1 6 2       1     2       1 0 0         1 8 0 0       1 0 0 2
   3 1 9 9       1 6 9 9       1 6 9 9         6 9 9       6 8 9 9

   Step 15:      Step 16:      Step 17:      Step 18:      Step 19:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   1 3 7 4       1 3 4 2       1 3 4 2       1 3 4 2       T h e r e
   1 3 5 4       1 3 4 2       1 3 4 2       1 3 4 2       a i n ' t
   0 0   2       0 0 7 5       7 5           7 5 9 9       n o
   0 0   2       0 0           0 0 9 9         0 0 6       s t e p
   6 8 9 9       6 8 9 9       0 0 6 8         0 0 8       1 9

 When you solve this hard puzzle, the rectangles will vanish and the
 spikes lower.  The lady congratulates you, and you can finally snatch
 those items from the chests!  The contents are a Lizard Blow, Legend
 Helm, Mega Shield and a Holy Robe.  Cool, eh?  I'd equip 'em
 immediately; when done go down the steps to the right.

 Don't walk to the left here, but loop around the lava.  Go down the
 ladder, and up the other one, and find three chests!  They contain the
 following: S-Myst Ring, S-Power Ring, and a Miracle.  Cut away a bush
 to the left, and then drop down the ledge on the switch.  Go south and
 pluck the Hidora Rock on your way.  Fall down to the lower level, go
 to the left, and use the Hook on the stake below you.  Fight the
 enemies if you wish, go up the ladder, and walk over the bridge.


 THE FIRE DRAGON ------------------------------------------------------

 The bridge will collapse (what'd you expect), and you'll land right in
 front of some stairs!  Use them, and then Hook yourself onto the
 platform below.  The column will collapse in an absurdly unrealistic
 way, but what's important is that you can reach the pillar to the
 right.  Use the Hook.  Now, instead of ascending to the top, there's a
 secret path on the right.  Follow it, and you'll eventually find a
 chest with a Miracle.  Do not step into the warp; it only takes you
 back to the beginning.

 Now go all the way back to the circular area and walk all the way to
 the top.  Some old man (Chaed's elder) is standing there.  He tells
 you to kiss off, but then the dragon appears and attacks!

 Boss Strategy -- Fire Dragon:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            7500    2000   800    250    30000    40000   --

   Good equipment is a crucial thing to have here.  The following
   weapons are effective: Dragon Blade (from Forfeit Island), Lizard
   Blow, and the Water/Ice weapons from the Ancient Cave.  Equipping
   Fire-resistant armor is handy too!  The Flame Shields and/or Flame
   Helmets from the Ancient Cave are good, or the gold equipment from
   Eserikto (Fire-reducing IPs).  Fire is not the only threat--the
   dragon's physical attacks are painful too.

   The Fire Dragon is fast--its AGL is 180.  A trick for an easier
   victory is to have Artea faster than the dragon; use AGL-boosting
   accessories (e.g. Rocket Ring) for this.  This way, you'll be able
   to heal BEFORE he does an attack that probably kills the people you
   want to heal.  As for the rest, just use your best attacks (use Ice
   Valk) and all, while healing intelligently...

 The old man is whipped by you flipping some dragon upside-down, and
 notices your energy waves.  He sees you're fighting the Sinistrals,
 and suggests going to Preamarl.  Then he says he's going home and
 waits for you there to tell you all about this stuff.  So, um, leave!


 THE JADE TO PREAMARL -------------------------------------------------

 Back in Chaed, head to the elder's place (the house protected from
 floods, above the Church).  The man says he knows about the legend of
 the Dual Blade, and says that the Queen of Preamarl knows where it
 resides.  Preamarl is a crescent-shaped island (where Darbi was on),
 he says, and that mermaids live there!  He gives you a jade, which
 would be the key to the mermaid-town.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-W:  A Town of Mermaids
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Could it be true?  A town underwater populated by mermaids?  Doesn't
 sound trusty, but hey--it's a video game, after all.  So, why don't
 you visit Preamarl and see?

   Items:     (none)

   Monsters:  Ghost Ship

   Recommended Level:  50


 PREAMARL -------------------------------------------------------------

 Sail to the lunated island Darbi once was on.  Go underwater and into
 the hole.  Go through the gate (if you don't have the Jade this isn't
 possible), and into the whirlpool.  You'll arrive in the Submarine
 Town of Preamarl!  There's a lot to do; the Church is here, an Inn
 (20G), and an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop with quite powerful stuff.  And a
 lot of people surprised by seeing you humans.

   Quote Of The Day:  "You humans eat fish, right?  How barbaric!"

 When done exploring around, get in the freaking big building.  Talk to
 the Queen (Marla), and after the rambling about you getting in here
 and the old man in Chaed, she'll tell you that there's a sword in the
 Submarine Shrine.  The entrance to that shrine is in the middle of the
 three small islands in a circle.

 Then, some messenger comes in and says that the currents have changed!
 He'll also say that her daughter, Piara, might be trapped there.
 Marla doesn't allow the people to go look for her, because it's too
 dangerous, but leaves quite notably fast.  So now, head to the
 Submarine Shrine for the thing about the changed currents, and look
 for the Dual Blade.


 THE CHANGED CURRENTS -------------------------------------------------

 Go to the Triforce-shaped island, go in the hole and through the gate,
 and in the whirlpool.  Indeed, the currents have changed in a
 dangerous way.  At the end, you'll find both Marla and Piara, but then
 the Ghost Ship appears!  Yikes!

 Boss Strategy -- Ghost Ship:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            10000   5000   500    300    30000    50000   --

   Actually, nothing to worry about.  The Ghost Ship is Undead, so you
   should use Holy-magic and healing magic to greatly damage him.  And
   the ship is made of wood, so Fire-spells are quite powerful too; be
   sure to use Firebird.  Artea not, though, let him use Zap since
   that's more powerful.  If that does less than 900 damage, let him
   use Valor (ON THE GHOST SHIP) instead.

   The ship calls friends (Dark Skull, Deadly Sword, Hades Skull), but
   those are easy to take care of.  Actually, the Hades Skulls are
   quite annoying so you may want to kill those and keep the others
   alive (two allies is the max).  The only thing that may make the
   battle a bit lengthy is the amount of HP of the ship, which is
   10,000.

 After you've burned the collection of wood, the other Preamarl-dudes
 come in to save you.  Ha ha!  After the talk, whirlpools appear and
 suck in all the mermaids...  So it wasn't the Ghost Ship who caused
 all of this!  Let us save 'em by hopping in one of the whirlpools.
 Follow the path, and you shall eventually arrive in... the Submarine
 Shrine!

 Everyone's alive, still.  Talk to Marla.  Maxim and co. feel a strong
 energy form here, stronger than Gades or Amon.  When four mermaids try
 to find an exit, they get fried!  Damn!  A voice then speaks,
 challenging Maxim to find him and stuff.  Go through the door, down
 the stairs, and into the warp.


 DAOS: MASTER OF TERROR -----------------------------------------------

 Okay, this place is graphically ROYALLY messed up, thank you.  What
 you see is just a glitch, much like the shrine in the Ancient Cave.
 Just go all the way forward until you can't anymore, then walk left or
 right three spaces, then go north again.  (The chests you see are part
 of the glitch.)  The Dual Blade is here!  It starts to resonate, and
 then Daos, Master of Terror, appears...

 You'll find out that he, the leader of the four Sinistrals, killed the
 people because of the Dual Blade; it usually rings for them, but
 recently started to ring for humans.  He'll then take the Dual Blade
 and warps you to Chaed to show you what he's made of.

 An island appears in the sky, and Daos destroys entire Chaed!  He
 challenges you to come to his island, but how...?  With their IP-
 meters bumped to the max, they head to Lexis to see if he maybe can do
 something...


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-X:  Snag the Engine!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Furious as they are, Maxim and friends want to go to Daos's island and
 punish him for what he's done... yadda yadda... the question is, how?
 Good question, is what the developers thought, so they programmed an
 extra dungeon where you can get an engine.

   Items:     Basement Key, Miracle; Engine

   Monsters:  Gold Gorem, White Dragon, Squid, Snow Gas, Basilisk,
              Warm Eye, Soldier, Tank

   Recommended Level:  50-52


 A NEW ENGINE? --------------------------------------------------------

 Warp or sail to Portravia, and talk to Lexis.  He seems to know
 already about the island's appearance, and calls it "Doom Island".
 Maxim says he wants to go there, then Lexis tells you he'll convert
 Excerion into an air ship!  It's possible, but you'll need a new
 engine for that...  It'll take years to make a new one, so that is no
 option.  However, Lexis heard of this isolated Gratze Kingdom, and
 that their technology is ahead of ours.  Guy then suggests borrowing
 an engine...  There is no known way to Gratze, but Selan remembers a
 link between the cave north of Dankirk and the kingdom.  Let's take a
 look there.

 If you go back into the cave where you caught this James guy (it is
 not necessary to do that and is time-consuming), you will see that the
 bridge has been broken, dammit!  So, you'll have to find another way
 to get there... wait, what's that I see?  Hmmm... a whirlpool...
 Maybe you can go underwater here?

 That was the correct answer.  Go back outside (in case you went
 inside), get in your boat, and sail to the area north of the cave.  A
 way to do that is to Warp to Durale and then sail all the way south
 from there.  Go underwater, and enter the Gratze South Submarine Cave.
 Follow the path to the Dankirk North Cave, dock your boat, and go up
 the many stairs.


 GRATZE BASEMENT ------------------------------------------------------

 Just as you arrive in the kingdom, you get caught by a number of
 guards.  When you wake up from their Drowsy-spell, you'll find
 yourself imprisoned!  A while later you'll also discover that Berty
 and Bart, the idiotic clowns from Alunze earlier, are here too!  Guy
 gets them to unlock the door, and they--don't ask me how--manage to
 open it!  In any case, they conveniently left the door open.

 The third (or first, depending on your point of view) cell seems to be
 open too.  Two people are inside (don't ask why the hell they haven't
 escaped yet...), and a save point, as well as recovery pods!  Make use
 of all three of them, and then run off.  Soon, however, you'll be
 caught by four soldiers.  Beat them up (dude, don't waste your IP-
 meter here), then escape up the steps.

 Okay, what you see here is a Gold Gorem.  Try to avoid these lunkers
 as much as possible; they'll crush you and don't seem to have any
 weakness.  Go through the door, and walk to the right.  Cut away the
 vines to find a weak wall, then blast away.  Go up the stairs in the
 secret chamber, and you'll arrive in a hall of some sorts, populated
 by a number of pillars.  One of them covers a stair set and can be
 moved; go down there!  Let the lever on the other side feel an Arrow,
 then open the chest for a Basement Key.

 Go back to the room with the Squid and Sphinx.  Walk up one room, and
 fight the White Dragon (sometimes, I really wonder how these things
 get here) if you feel the need to.  Go left, and you'll find a button
 you can step on!  To actually switch it, you'll need some extra
 weight: step on it while having the pot in your hands.  Go through the
 door you just opened.  Now if you want, you can bomb the wall on the
 right, but that's not needed.  Push the pillar on the switch, so a
 stake on the other side goes up.  Pierce the Hook in it, pull the
 lever, then go back one room.

 This time, go down.  There's an eye in this room; if you walk past it,
 the door closes.  That was not nice, so plant an arrow in it (owch!)
 and the eye decides to open the door again.  Go in, fight the enemies
 if you're the combatant-type guy, and cross the bridge.  Go in, and up
 the stairs.

 Go down one room.  More enemies!  Sickening, this is.  Okay, there are
 three doors you can choose from.  Let's take the lower-right door
 first (which is optional, but do it anyway).  Follow the path and
 you'll eventually find a lever.  After you let the stake on the other
 side go up, use your Hook go get there, and then swing up for a chest
 with a Miracle.

 Go back down.  Watch out for the Warm Eye hiding behind the door, you
 might funk a surprise-attack.  Go back to the intersection room, and
 take the upper-right door.  Follow the path, through the hall, up the
 stairs, and use the Basement Key at the end.  Here is the last puzzle
 in the dungeon.  Quite easy, just try and you'll find the exit.  Step
 on the first accessible platform, go down, right, right, down, up,
 right, down, left, down and voila!  Be sure to heal everybody now.


 THE GRATZE ARMY ------------------------------------------------------

 Go through the door and up the stairs to arrive on the opposite side
 of where you got caught earlier.  As you can see, Berty and Bart are
 trapped... again.  The team decides to save them, and after making fun
 of the Prince, the... um, "army" attacks.  Just attack them (DO NOT
 waste IP), and after their defeat, the Prince powers up the Tank to
 take you on.

 Boss Strategy -- Tank:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            10000   0      1100   300    40000    1       --

   It's simple, really, despite what your first impressions are.  The
   Tank uses "Incendiary Bomb" and "Machine-gun Attack", which hit
   everyone for moderate damage.  Should this happen, have Selan or
   Artea use Champion to recover lost HP.  His other attacks include
   "Magic Gale Bullet" and "Piercer", attacks that hit a single party
   member of yours and are almost guaranteed to kill him or her.  If
   you're lucky, the Prince will throw away a round with "Missile
   Blast", to check the situation.

   Magic should NOT be used, for it doesn't even scratch the Tank.  The
   only thing that might do some damage is Zap.  Just pound away with
   physical attacks, IP-attacks, and heal whenever the Tank uses a
   damaging attack.  Since you're relying on physical attacks, you
   might as well snap a couple of ATP-boosting spells.

 ...the Engine!  You'll automatically obtain it after the battle.
 However, the Prince gets ultra-angry at you and decides to blow up the
 whole castle, everything included!  Seems Artea was right, about a
 party destroying an entire kingdom...  Selan luckily manages to Warp
 to Portravia.  The screen then switches over to Berty and Bart, who
 have gotten their hands on the crown!  But anyway, let's go back to
 Lexis and get an air ship.


 THE AIR SHIP ---------------------------------------------------------

 Talk to the professor, and they'll start working on it.  They're
 finished remarkably quickly, but the important thing is that you can
 fly now!  Then, Selan hears some sound, and a man comes in to say that
 Doom Island stopped above Narvick.  A while later, you'll find
 yourself on the water again!

 Now, press the A-button and you can choose between up and down; down
 is when you want to go underwater, and up is the thing you want!  Now
 you've got a flying balloon, you can get everywhere you want!  A lot
 easier to collect the Dragon Eggs, but that's in another section.  To
 continue, go to Narvick (the town on the Triforce-shaped islands).


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-Y:  The Three Towers
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Narvick is a place isolated from the rest of the world of Lufia II.
 The town even has its own tune!  Regardless, the people here wonder
 why (or how) you've gotten here.  The people have devoted themselves
 to super beings for all their life, but with the come of these four
 Sinistrals, they're frustrated to hell, or something.

   Items:     S-Ice Ring, S-Water Ring, S-Thun Ring, Pearl Armor;
              Pearl Helmet; S-Fire Ring

   Monsters:  Leech, Mega Cyclops, Basilisk, Red Dragon, Black Dragon,
              Blue Dragon, Thunder Beast, Gorgon, Sphinx, Gades, Amon

   Recommended Level:  50


 THE THREE KEYS -------------------------------------------------------

   Note:  If you're reading this, let me note that the enemies (regular
          monsters and bosses) are weak against Holy, so have Artea
          with full MP at the beginning of every dungeon so he can
          unleash with Zap.

 There's an Inn (10G) and an Item/Weapon/Armor Shop.  The man behind
 the counter says, "I believe we have the most powerful weapons you can
 obtain on earth."  Now I'm really wondering...  HOW can you know that
 if you're totally isolated from the outside world, eh?  Anyway, what
 he says is partially true: these items are the most powerful you can
 buy.  In case you have money left, you can safely spend all of it
 here.

 To continue, head over to the elder's house, which is--just like in
 Chaed--a house protected from floods!  Go upstairs, and talk to the
 old dude.  He sees you're special, and then calls the three ladies.
 The man tells you about his devotion to super beings, the items on the
 towers, and that those items are sealed.  To unseal them, you'll need
 the keys, and the keys are the three women!  The first, Lisa, will go
 with you to the first tower, Shuman.


 SHUMAN ---------------------------------------------------------------

 With Lisa, go to the tower on the same island Narvick is on.  Well, I
 can't really describe where to go here; just follow the path until you
 reach an intersection (either go left or through the door).  Go
 through the door first, and then walk forward until you find a small
 room with a chest inside.  Open it for an S-Ice Ring.

 Go back and walk on; you can eventually choose between two doors.  The
 right one keeps a Blue Dragon, the left a Mega Cyclops and the stairs
 to continue.  Take the left door, go up, and then take the left door
 again for a chest with an S-Water Ring.  Follow the path to the top of
 the tower (there's a Leech you have to kill for stairs to appear;
 attack him in the back and use Valor!).

 When you're almost on top, go to the extreme right to find stairs.
 Walk down, and you'll eventually arrive in a small room with a chest
 with an S-Thun Ring.  Go back to the upper part and enter the room in
 the middle.  Defeat the Black Dragon for stairs, and then go straight
 up.  You'll find a save point!  Use it, then go up to find some sort
 of tombstone.  Okay, so it's not a tombstone, but step on the circled
 tile and Gades appears!

 Boss Strategy -- Gades:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            7500    320    420    290    50000    50000   --

   Have Maxim and Guy attack Gades--it is not necessary to use up all
   your IP.  Have Selan heal when it's needed, or let her use ATP-
   boosting stuff on the attackers.  Artea should be using Zap all the
   time for more damage.  Gades's attacks are just plain pathetic, his
   Destructo Wave is harmless, and he can physically attack.  Why it is
   so much I don't know, but you'll receive 50 kilos of experience and
   gold.  His amount of HP is just 7500 HP (*farting noise*).

 After his defeat, Gades will ramble again about Erim reviving him and
 all.  Lisa will say that it might be possible to take care of the
 turbulence around Doom Island, and that you can take the Divine Armor
 (Pearl Armor), and then it's time to go back to Narvick!


 STRAHDA --------------------------------------------------------------

 Equip if you need to (the Pearl Armor might be weaker than other
 armor, but its IP--of which the name just PLAIN ROCKS!  *cough*--is a
 very valuable thing.  Talk to the elder and he'll call Marie to join
 you.  Next stop: Strahda, northeast of here!

 There are no items in chests here.  However, it's not just a simple
 straightforward path, which I dislike.  From the entrance, go to the
 right in the door.  Go up the stairs.  Or, loop around to the left
 from the entrance, whatever floats your boat.

 Go up the stairs, circle left-down-up, and go through the door.  Kill
 the Blue Dragon, go up.  Walk left here, enter the next room, fight
 the Mega Cyclops, and take the stairs up again.  Go up and right.
 Note that you can drop off the ledge here, don't do so unless you
 really want to end up at the beginning.  Go through the door instead!
 There's a Leech here, and stairs leading up.  Go up, and defeat the
 Leech doing nothing for a stair set to appear.  Walk up, twice.

 Next is an intersection; a door or stairs up.  The stairs is enemy-
 free, the door not.  Follow either path, and you'll eventually end up
 by something that looks like some sort of huge gate with a door in the
 left foot.  Go through the door, walk up, then punch the Black Dragon
 a black eye (attack them in the back for them to receive bonus spank).
 Go up the stairs to continue, walk up, and save!  Heal too.  The next
 thing you encounter is Amon, a bloke with a rather swanky spear.

 Boss Strategy -- Amon:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            10000   5000   800    200    50000    50000   --

   As always, Sinistrals fear Holy-magic, so if you've got some Light
   IPs left (e.g. the Gold Eye's Stardust Blow), unleash!  Let Artea
   use Zap.  Likely, Artea is the only one faster than Amon (AGL is
   184+), if not, equip an AGL-boosting accessory on him!  If it looks
   critical, let him heal instead of attacking.  If you still have the
   Super Sword, equip it on Selan so she can use its IP.  Also, he can
   inflict Confusion, which is annoying.  If you have Arty's Bow
   equipped, Artea won't attack your own party members.  For this, use
   a Shriek or whatever, then continue your systematic destruction of
   super beings.

 After the battle, you get near the tombstone (yes, yes, it's not a
 tombstone), and you'll receive the Divine Helmet!  That's the Pearl
 Helmet in your inventory.  It has the same stats as the Legend Helm
 and a similar IP; instead of mirroring back attacks for half the
 strength, the Pearl Helmet does it for double the strength!  Marie
 will station herself in front of the tombstone (it's no tombstone, by
 the way), and you'll return to Chaed for the third victim... err, key,
 to save the world!


 KAMIRNO --------------------------------------------------------------

 Recruit the last one, Clare, and fly off to the tower on Kamirno!
 Okay, since "laziness" is one of the words that people would use if
 they had to describe me, I will make you a very boring guide for the
 last "real" dungeon in the game.  Place "go" or "enter" before each
 word.

 Tower.  Door.  Stairs.  Right.  Up.  Small room.  Chest: S-Fire Ring.
 Outside.  Left.  Door.  Stairs.  Left.  Stairs.  Up.  Right.  Door.
 Stairs.  Door.  Stairs.  Door.  Stairs.  Kill Gorgon.  Stairs.
 Outside.  Stairs.  Outside.  Left.  Door.  Stairs.  Door.  Stairs.
 Door.  Kill Leech.  Stairs.  Stairs.  Stairs.  Stairs.  Door.

 ...ah, I should do that more often, a time-saver it is... h-hey, put
 that shotgun away!  Oh well, I'd rather not, otherwise I don't get
 paid.  Anyway, you'll find a save point here--use it!  Now is a point-
 of-no-return thing, which means that once you trigger the final step,
 you can't go back!  I've decided to open up a brand new chapter for
 the last sequence of events...


------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-Z:  To Doom Island!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The final chapter (I've assigned them myself, by the way) covers the
 final events, starting from the point-of-no-return--stepping on the
 platform near the tombstone (it's not a tombstone) on Kamirno's tower.
 You can't save, leave Narvick, or whatever.

   Items:     Pearl Shield; Miracle (x5), Miracle (x4), Miracle (x3)

   Monsters:  Gades, Amon, Erim, Daos

   Recommended Level:  50


 BLOCK DOOM ISLAND ----------------------------------------------------

 Okay, get near the tombstone (it's not really a tombstone), and then
 Maxim notes that nobody is around.  After the suspicions and all,
 Maxim steps on the platform near the... thing, and he acquires the
 Divine Shield!  Pearl Shield, that is.  Then, Daos appears, and he
 utters some crap about who's worthy of wearing the divine equipment.
 The Dual Blade appears, and eventually chooses Maxim over Daos!  He
 then flies off.

 Clare then comes in, and thinks she can trap Doom Island in some sort
 of aura, and it works!  However... Amon seems to have attacked
 Excerion, and has done something to prevent it from repairing.  Just a
 while later, you'll find yourself in Portravia again.


 DEKAR'S RETURN! ------------------------------------------------------

 Lexis says he can repair the ship.  While he and co. do that, Maxim
 and Selan go outside and talk.  When done, you'll regain control over
 everyone (you can't save or leave the village now!).  Head back to
 Lexis, who seems to be done already.  Then!  A scientist (or something
 like that) appears, and says that the aura around Doom Island is
 weakening.  Then another dude comes in and says that there are
 monsters all over the place!

 While investigating the situation and all, Dekar appears!  He takes
 care of all the monsters and you can finally leave.  Ah, the whole
 shebang is over, now let's fly!  Too bad Dekar doesn't join you.  The
 Sinistrals do a last attempt to get rid of you, and they partially
 succeed--your ship is destroyed, but you DO find yourself on Doom
 Island).  Then, you'll find yourself in the shrine!  Great.


 KICK SINISTRAL ASS ---------------------------------------------------

   Note:  Equip the Pearl Shield if you haven't done so before, and the
          Dual Blade!  Its IP--Wave Motion--is awesome.  At the
          beginning of each battle, your IP will be bumped to the max,
          so there's no need to spare Miracles and all.  Also, if you
          have the Egg Ring, give it to Maxim.

 Go through the hall, and take either the left or right path.  Unlike
 the intro of Lufia (I), there are no random battles.  Just walk
 straight forward, and you'll end up at the other side, having gotten
 five more Miracles to spend.  Then go north, and you will find Gades.
 Compared to the other bosses, Gades would be a puny ant.

 Boss Strategy -- Gades:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            10000   0      600    200    50000    50000   --

   Have Maxim cast Wave Motion for his attacks do more damage, or use
   Brilliance, whatever you want.  Let the others use their best
   attacks, et cetera, et cetera...  Easy.  After the battle, heal
   everyone.  If you lose, you shouldn't be here.

 Go up the steps, and walk to the right to find a Miracle.  Go back,
 north, through the hall, down, left, and another Miracle!  Go up the
 stairs, and then walk AROUND the huge platform thing to find a pair of
 chests with Miracles, again.  Go back and up the stairs--if you need
 to recover HP and/or MP, go around the upper platform and down the
 steps.  Otherwise, head north and face...

 Boss Strategy -- Amon:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            10000   5000   800    200    50000    50000   --

   Piece of cake, too.  See Gades's strategy.  Watch out, though, for
   his attack that confuses your party members.

 Go up the stairs to arrive on 4F.  Before you walk over the bridge, go
 to the left or right and walk a circle to find three Miracles, whee!
 There's also a spot around the upper-right corner where you can walk
 off the platform, on the space (without falling, eh).  This is just a
 glitch, though...  A voice speaks, saying you may cross the bridge.
 The party does so, and then Erim--Mistress of Death--appears!  This
 would be the one you haven't met before, who inconveniently revives
 everyone.

 Boss Strategy -- Erim:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            15000   5000   300    250    50000    50000   --

   First, let's talk about Erim's attacks.  She uses Dark Fry often,
   which deals a lot of damage--if you're on a decent level, then it
   can be nullified by using a Champion.  Second, she uses Devastation
   Wave.  While any damage this does is NOTHING to worry about, this
   attack may cause an instant kill!  This sucks when both Selan and
   Artea die--use Miracles when this happens.

   Also, Erim is slow.  Any person in your party with an AGL above 100
   is faster than her, and this is a great thing in this battle.

   Instead of Wave Motion, I would let Maxim use the Pearl Helmet's IP
   "Brilliance".  It returns back all attacks for twice the damage, and
   there are numerous other usefulness factors.  To attack, use Zap,
   the Light Jewel's IP "Flash", if you have it, but don't use non-Holy
   magic!  The damage that does is laughable.  How I do it: Maxim
   attacks, Guy attacks, Selan uses Champion each round, and Artea uses
   Zap each round.

   Compared to Gades and Amon, Erim is tough.  While the strategies for
   the previous two bosses were totally worthless, I hope this might
   have been of some help...  If you need more help... I don't have
   more, so... sucks to be you.

 After her defeat, she disappears, and it's time to go.  Recover HP and
 MP now, and step into the warp.  Cross the bridge, and you'll see
 Daos!  Chat with him.  He says something about Arek, the one above
 all, and throws you an invitation to fight.

 Boss Strategy -- Daos:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            20000   500    400    50     50000    50000   --

   Daos's attacks include Terror Wave, which does medium damage AND
   inflicts all stupid status effects you don't want (Confusion).  His
   Dark Fry does a good deal of damage too, and he showers you with
   level three-elemental spells (Firebird, etc.).  If you're lucky, he
   throws away a round by pathetically attacking a single companion
   physically.  And, not to forget, Dark Reflector.  (Only) the first
   one, who attacks Daos after he puts this on, receives the damage of
   that attack--mostly killing the unlucky one.  You can nullify this
   by using something weak (e.g. Boomerang) or a status-healing item
   (e.g. Antidote).

   Use Wave Motion/Brilliance, and again, don't use offensive spells
   other than Zap (or Fry).  You must trust your IP-attacks now; try to
   use the most powerful whenever possible, hoping it's not a Dark
   Reflector comin' right there.  Physical attacks are the way to go
   with Maxim and Guy, while Selan heals.  Et cetera.

   Difficulty, almost the same as Erim, most people say he's easier.
   To me it doesn't matter because my party is so freakin' great they
   kick any male's head so hard he's gonna have three balls.


 DAOS'S REVENGE -------------------------------------------------------

 Anyway, damn.  Daos doesn't admit defeat easily--he summons (the
 ghosts of) Gades, Amon and Erim before him, with who he resonates to
 attempt to defeat you!  Maxim, being the heroic fella of the game, of
 course doesn't accept this and tells the party to fight back.  They
 succeed...

   Quote Of The Day:  "You little hoochees!"  (Daos)

 ...and it's over!  However, Selan seems to be hit by the Sinistrals'
 rupture, and passes away...  Then, the island is about to SPLAT, and
 Guy and Artea warp away--Maxim was too far away to warp with them (why
 doesn't he use a warp ITEM?).  However!  Daos then appears to say he's
 gonna bump this island to Parcelyte, which isn't a good thing indeed.
 Fortunately, Iris appears.  You discover, though, that's she is Erim!
 Maxim gets her to help him, and she tells you destroy the Mystic
 Stones at the foot of the island.  Then she's gone!  Pfft.

 Step into the warp.  Find a path to the first stone, and use your
 power to break it.  Go through the doorway north of it (which would be
 locked if you didn't break the stone), follow the path, and find the
 second Mystic Stone.  Destroy it, go through the door, and find the
 third one too.  Here, Maxim will use all the power he's got, and
 succeeds!

   Note:  There's a door in this room, too.  This cannot be opened,
          entered, whatever--there is no secret room hidden.  Having
          all ten Iris Treasures doesn't change this one BIT; don't
          listen to those dumb idiots (intentionally or not) spreading
          rumors.

 Congratulations, you have beaten the game.  Sit back, relax, watch the
 ending.  Once it's over, wait a while, and you'll see the text "To be
 continued  LUFIA 1".  This simply means that the story continues in
 the "previous" Lufia game, Lufia: The Fortress of Doom.  Now wait
 again, and a status screen will appear with a status report of your
 game... interesting:

   Report 1/3 -- Number of times your companions have been killed.
   Report 2/3 -- Play time, how many times you've slept at the Inn,
                 battles, escapes, chests opened, Resets used, Dragon
                 Eggs acquired, times you've fought the Egg Dragon.
   Report 3/3 -- Ancient Cave stuff; play time, enters, battles, knock-
                 outs, blue chests opened, red chests opened, times
                 you've ditched the big blob, and the total of floor
                 numbers.


========================================================================
PART 3:  APPENDICES
========================================================================

------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-A:  The Ancient Cave
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Welcome, my friend, to what I consider the most fun and innovative
 dungeon in video game history.  I will not go TOO in-depth here; for
 more info, check out other FAQs on GameFAQs on this subject.  The cave
 is on Gruberik, which can be accessed in the story mode after you get
 Jyad a ship, or by playing "Gift".

   Items:     Ancient Key, Light Jewel, Brill Helm, Dragon Ring (but
              of course, MASSIVE BRAGGING RIGHTS)

   Monsters:  You want me to write up all enemies in this cave?  YOU
              WANT ME TO WRITE UP ALL ENEMIES IN THIS CAVE?!


 GENERAL INFO ---------------------------------------------------------

 The Ancient Cave is one huge cave, 99 floors long.  The floors are
 randomly made up, and are full of red chests, blue chests, and not to
 forget, enemies!  The bad thing here is that once you start, you start
 off at level 1, without equipment, and just ten Potions!  All items
 you pick up, experience points and gold you receive, has to be turned
 in when you leave.  The cool thing, though, is that the (rare) blue
 chests contain valuable items, and best of all, you can take them out
 of the cave!  Not only that, you can also take 'em back in.

 And about that being level 1 and all, the enemies are also weak (Red
 Jellies, etc.) at the beginning.  No worry!  They get stronger as you
 progress, and you'll even encounter enemies you won't find in the
 upper world!  However, unless you wish to have your ends scorched to
 be colored all like my hair, you'll want to avoid these.

 In this cave, you can only go down, not up.  That means that if you
 witness an unopened blue chest as you step into the stairs, well,
 sucks to be you!  From floor 21 on, one of the red chests may contain
 this item called "Providence"--sort of like an "Escape", but the
 purpose is to leave the cave.  This item is crucial; there's only one
 per go-through, so don't feed it to your Capsule Monster!

 If you die, the game's not over.  You just return to the entrance of
 the cave, but you've lost all your items!  More than likely, this is
 something you don't want to happen.  One of your goals is to collect
 as many blue chest-items as possible.  More importantly, you'll need
 to use Providence when you have something you really really really
 want, or you might risk being killed and losing it!  Of course, only
 escape when you think you can't defeat the enemies anymore.


 ODDS AND ENDS --------------------------------------------------------

 Here are some tips, and things I've noticed, plus some random garbage.

 Party Selection:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  + In the story mode, you can go in with a party of Maxim, Guy, Selan
    and Dekar, or without Dekar, or Lexis instead, or Artea (final
    party).  Good parties are the first (with Guy and Dekar) or the
    last possible--my favorite team is with the two muscles.  If you
    play Gift, you can substitute Selan for Artea, which is not a bad
    choice.

  + As for your Capsule Monster, there are several to choose from, and
    most would agree that Flash is the most useful, because of his
    ability to cure you!  The fact that this is random sucks, though,
    and in the offensive department he's not worth a crap.  You can use
    the others instead; just don't depend on them too much.  See the
    Capsule Monsters section for individual ratings.  Feed your Capsule
    Monster the crap you don't need, just be aware they don't eat the
    weaker items when they're tasted finer goods.

 While Exploring the Cave:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  + The first times you go through the cave, it's nearly impossible to
    reach the final floors.  Therefore, I suggest making blue chests
    your main goal, until you've obtained a solid amount of nifty
    stuff.

  + There are various odd patches of grass you'll encounter rarely (and
    randomly); cut them away to uncover a healing spot!  You won't need
    to waste recovery items anymore.  I've heard there are also MP-
    healing tiles in the later floors but I haven't actually seen any,
    so I guess it's a rumor.  The vines on the walls just ARE, and
    don't hide entrances.

  + Keep an eye on your HP-meter, since it doesn't increase when you
    level up.  :(

  + One of the most important spells is Absorb; since MP is crucial and
    can be used to heal, you'll need MP.  Absorb, which costs only a
    measly 1 MP, absorbs MP from the enemy.

 About Monsters:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  + Beware of Mimics (floors 7-9), ESPECIALLY Blue Mimics (floors 29-
    31).  These enemies look like chests, but they're actually enemies.
    Regular Mimics follow you like an idiot on the field screen, but
    it's easy to detect them and to avoid them.  A battle with them
    isn't good.  Blue Mimics are the devil; they stand still so you can
    easily mistake them for a real blue chest.  Carefully look if they
    look different (brighter, I think), or face off with a nasty battle
    that you might lose...

  + Change equipment when you see an enemy of which you know it uses
    certain attacks.  For example, Pugs.  These use Fire-attacks, so
    equipping Fire-protective things is good here.  Also change your
    weapon when you find an enemy weak against an element.  And don't
    forget to change it back either!

  + And there's a tactic people call "harvesting".  While battling a
    foe that summons friends, the point is to bump off all enemies
    except for the summoner.  Seeing as it is impossible to keep up
    with the monsters' levels, you can use this trick to gain some
    levels to still stand a chance.

  + When you reach the 70s, watch out, because you shall soon meet
    Genies, which are nasty.  In the 80s, be afraid, because Copper and
    Silver Dragons have entered the arena.  Go down a couple of floors,
    then be VERY afraid, because the Gold Dragon has joined.  Though
    these dudes drop mucho experience, they also drop mucho attacks
    down your throat, leaving you mucho annihilated soon.

 And Also:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  + It REALLY REALLY REALLY sucks when you're on floor 98 and land in
    one of those very small rooms and a Gold Dragon is guarding the
    stair set.  It's happened to me.  And I lost.  ARGH.

  + See the Ancient Cave FAQs on GameFAQs for more tips and such.


 ANCIENT CAVE FINAL FLOOR ---------------------------------------------

   Note:  If you managed to drag your lazy butt to the final floor,
          you'll find yourself in a shrine of some sorts.  If you're
          playing a certain version of the game (the one released in
          the US), the graphics are all messed up, just like the
          Submarine Shrine.  Damn!  This is not a problem with the ROM-
          dump, if you play it and suspect that.

   Note:  You'll see chests, but those are part of the glitch.  Don't
          bother trying to get them.  Also, this glitch is unfound in
          the European versions of the game (at least I didn't
          experience it when playing my Dutch cartridge).

 Anyway, when you reach it, you'll find the Ancient Jelly.  He'll
 somewhat challenge you to a fight--he's actually a blown up Red Jelly!
 His "name" is "Master", but I'll refer to him as the Ancient Jelly.
 If you beat him, you get the key to those neat treasures up there, but
 if you lose, you get nothing.  NOTHING!

 Boss Strategy -- Ancient Jelly:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            9980    0      10     1      1        1       --

   This fight consists of four rounds, and the worst thing is, you HAVE
   TO kill him in those rounds!  The Ancient Jelly kills himself in the
   last round, and because he's most likely faster than you, it's
   actually three rounds you have.  In the first round, he pumps your
   characters full of HP, in round two he does the same for MP, and in
   three, he just checks the situation.  So, there is no need to use
   Courage or those spells, because the Ancient Jelly is just a dumb
   blob that doesn't attack.

   There are two possible ways to win; the technical way, or the cheap
   way.  The cheap way is just to commit suicide!  You must kill
   yourself within the three rounds, though, and it CAN be hard.  Un-
   equip armor and shields, etc. (but do not remove weapons and
   anything that does not increase defensive stats).  Let Maxim, Selan
   and Artea just attack themselves, easy enough, but Guy and Dekar are
   harder to get rid of.  Having them dead (NOT nearly dead) helps, but
   it's not always possible.  If Maxim, Selan or Artea only need TWO
   rounds to beat up themselves, remember you have THREE rounds in
   total, so let them hack at Guy and Dekar during round two.  When you
   succeed, you will not win technically, but he'll give you the key
   anyway (and that woman will still see you've beaten the jelly).  Oh
   yeah, be sure to get rid of Flash, because it stinks when he helps
   you RIGHT when you don't need it, while doing not a damn when you're
   going down the cave itself.

   For the "real" way to win, you must use uber-powerful attacks.
   Attacks that subtract HP by percentage are very good to use--the
   Dekar Blade's IP-attack is the best to use here.  I have a list
   right here (sorted by effectiveness):

     Equipment:      IP:               IP-Effect:
     ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯      ¯¯¯               ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
     Dekar Blade  -- Fatal Blow     -- HP down by 1/2
     Myth Blade   -- Battle Fury    -- HP down by 1/4
     Deadly Sword -- Battle Cry     -- HP down by 1/6
     Old Sword    -- Battle Cry     -- HP down by 1/6
     Gorgon Rock  -- Ax Attack      -- HP down by 1/8
     Deadly Rod   -- Devastation    -- HP down by 1/8

   Oh, and I refer to the uncursed versions of the items above.
   Besides these, you can also use the Gades Blade's IP "Octo-strike"
   (strike eight times in a row), doing decent damage.  With a little
   luck (and be sure to do stronger attacks first, to inflict more
   damage), the Ancient Jelly should go down.

 So, did you win?  If so, congratulations!  You've received the key to
 the door behind the scary man at the entrance, so whip out your
 Providence and use it.  Go into that small chamber in the back and
 claim a Light Jewel, Brill Helm and Dragon Ring!  Worth the effort.
 Not to forget, you have beaten the jelly, so go back to that Iris
 Treasure-obsessed woman and talk to her.  She'll place a token on the
 table (which didn't appear in your inventory, by the way), which you
 can use to proof to your friends you have beaten the blob!


 IRIS TREASURES -------------------------------------------------------

 Scattered throughout the cave are regular red chests, which contain
 the legendary Iris Treasures (Iris Sword, Iris Armor, etc.).  There
 are nine of them in total, and the tenth is discussed later.  Like
 blue chest-items, you keep them with you.  If you survive, that is.
 Also, you can't equip them; they're just for the show.

 Well, they don't really serve a purpose... you can hand them in at the
 basement of the house next to Gruberik's Inn.  When you've collected
 all ten, the woman says you're quite strong and all, but nothing
 happens!  Of course, it gives you MASSIVE bragging rights, but the
 only purpose of Iris Treasures is that it's "just" an extra challenge.
 Ugh...

 Rumors are that a special door in the very last dungeon opens or can
 be opened if you've collected all ten treasures.  Though I'd love to
 see that they DO have a purpose, sorry, this isn't true...

 The last Iris Treasure can't be found in a chest, but is given (or
 taken, whatever) to you by the Ancient Jelly (final boss) upon his
 defeat.  It doesn't appear in your inventory, and actually isn't a
 treasure but a token that proves you've let him bite the dust.  Well,
 it'll be placed in the room of that house, so I'll just consider it an
 Iris Treasure.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-B:  Forfeit Island
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 This island is cool!  Not only it features a huge casino where you can
 unload your purse, there's also a pawnshop, and a bunch of "normal"
 shops.  Though it's optional, it's still worth it to visit this place.


 THE PAWNSHOP ---------------------------------------------------------

 Let's talk about the pawnshop.  Outside, you'll hear people talking
 about this shop collecting all things this fellow named "Maxim" has
 sold or lost... oh, hey, that Maxim guy is you!  Yikes... looks like
 you're being stalked!  The shop itself is next to the Inn, let us head
 there.

 There, talk to the lady and you can buy all stuff you've sold.  It
 includes stuff you've fed to your Capsule Monsters (except for fruit),
 and things your ex-party members were wearing when they left your
 team.  The price of pawned items is the regular price, when you sell
 things you'll only receive half of the regular price.


 THE CASINO -----------------------------------------------------------

 The casino is found in the basement of the Café.  Go all the way down
 and you'll find a place named "Markao".  In here, there's a whole lot
 of casino-games, such as Black Jack, the all-popular Slot Machines,
 and more.  To play these games, you'll need coins.  You can buy them
 at the counter in the upper-left corner (10G a coin).

 When you've either bought or won enough coins, you can buy stuff using
 those coins.  Prizes range from a Jewel Sonar (use it in a dungeon to
 see how many chests you've missed) to the all-powerful Dragon Blade.
 That blade is really expensive, though.

   Note:  The Engage Ring (Ancient Cave) halves prices, know?  It
          halves the price of the coins AND the price of the Dragon
          Blade, so if you get the blade by buying coins, with the
          Engage Ring it's actually one fourth of the actual price.
          Which means that it is highly recommended to get your hands
          on that ring before purchasing the blade.

 Now, I'll cover the casino-games, on alphabetical order.  It's
 COMPLETELY useless, but you knew you were getting all of that stuff
 when you downloaded this guide, so... don't complain.

 Action Bingo:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   There's a roster of 5 by 5 balls, 25 in total.  Random numbers get
   chosen and you get to rotate a group of numbers.  The goal is to
   align as much as possible before a ball drops.  Like the woman on
   the right says, "...it requires not only luck but also quick
   judgment."  You get 13 balls in total.

   There's something with the golden balls too; if you have the luck
   that it appears in one or more of your alignments, you'll receive
   more squid.  I'm not totally sure how this works, and honestly, I
   don't give a crap either.  You get more, and that's all that really
   matters!

   Lastly, you'll get the option whether you want to take the Ball of
   Chance (only when you've got at least one alignment)...  Doing so
   will get you one more ball, but you can't control it.  However!  If
   it's a ball that doesn't align anything, you lose, thus lose all of
   your credit.  Bah.  Should you be lucky, you'll win more.

 Adventure 7:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Ah, the good ol' slot machines!  Depending on which machine you're
   using, you'll have to insert 1 coin, 10 coins, or 100 coins.  Of
   course, the higher the bet, the bigger the prize.  Press Up to
   choose the number of lines, and check out the table to the right to
   see what you can win.

 Blackjack:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   You get a couple of cards shuffled in front of your nose.  You must
   choose whether you take one or not.  Your goal is to eventually have
   a total of 21, or close to 21, but not OVER 21!  If so, you'll
   automatically lose.  The Jack, the Queen and the King are worth 10
   points, and the Ace is either 1 or 11.  Press A to take another
   card, press B to stop.

   As the game starts, you have to place bets (from 1 coin to 99 of
   them).  I'd say, unload 99 of them!  You play, along with two other
   people, against the dealer.  If your total is closer to 21 than the
   dealer, you win.  If you have the same score as the dealer (e.g.
   both of you have 21), then the dealer automatically wins.

   If you win, you'll receive twice your bet.  If there's something
   special, then you'll receive more (e.g. "Toppin", if you get 21 with
   two cards, you'll get 4 times your bet).

 Five Card Stud:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   You need to have a VIP Card to be able to enter this place.  This is
   another card game, and the key to winning is bluffing--that makes
   the game so interesting!  This is a game kind of based on poker, but
   it's not the same.  Everyone gets two cards in the beginning, and
   from then you'll receive another card, one at a time.  The opponent
   can see all of your cards, except the first.  After you get each
   card, you can bet--you must bet more than the one who bet before
   you.  You can raise the bet anytime, or press B to chicken out.

   When you have five cards, that's your hand.  Like in poker, you must
   get a certain combination, such as "One pair" (two of the same),
   "Two pair" (two times two of the same), "Three Card" (three of a
   kind), and a lot more.  I won't be including all possible combos
   here; it's kind of useless.  Anyway, the one with the best cards
   ("Two pair" is better than "One pair", etc.) wins all the bet money,
   times 10.  Values don't matter, unless there are two with the same
   hands (e.g. both "One pair"); then the one with the cards with the
   highest values wins.

   Bluffing plays a key role in this mini-game.  Since your opponents
   cannot see your first card, you can raise the bet to 99.  This
   (should) make them think you have a whoppin' great combo there (even
   when your hand sucks big-time), and they might fold!  Note that if
   they instead raise their bet, YOU should watch out.  And they might
   be bluffing, too.

 Flowergarden:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   The concept is much like the regular slot machines.  A couple of
   changes, though...  First off, you can select 1, 3 or 5 lines (10G a
   line).  You can stop the reels individually using the Y-, X- and A-
   buttons.  Besides your money-counter, there are three others: the
   JAC-counter, the CREDIT-counter, and the WIN-counter.

     JAC    -- I think this stands for jackpot.  When you enter one of
               the two bonus modes, this counter starts at a certain
               amount and goes to zero; when that happens, the bonus
               mode ends.
     CREDIT -- Whenever you get a certain combo, you'll receive some
               credits.  When you leave, you get the coins (amount of
               credits times ten).  There's a maximum of 50; credits
               won after that amount go straight to your coins.
     WIN    -- This thing tells you how many credits you've won.

   When you hit on three sevens, you'll enter the "Special" mode.  The
   JAC-counter starts at 30, and counts down with every spin.  When it
   hits zero, the bonus mode ends.  Winning combos occur often while in
   this mode, and when you hit a certain combination, you'll find
   yourself in the second special mode!

   The second special mode is the "On Drugs" mode.  Only the middle
   line is active here, and seriously... the machine spits out coins
   almost all the time!  With every winning combination, the counter
   goes one down.  You can get this mode by hitting three BARs, or by
   doing something (I've got no idea what) in the Special mode.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-C:  The Dragon Eggs
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Similar to the story of Dragonball Z (which is to get your hands on
 all of the Dragonballs so you can summon a dragon to do a wish), you
 must obtain all eggs and bring them to a dragon.

   Items:     Dragon Egg (x8)

   Monsters:  Egg Dragon

   Recommended Level:  99 (I'm not kidding)


 DRAGON EGG Z ---------------------------------------------------------

 Scattered throughout the world are eight Dragon Eggs.  Here is the
 location of each of them:

  - Alunze Castle Basement: nuke the crate.
  - Cave to Sundletan: after you get the Hook, return here.
  - Merix: talk to Eugene after fixing the bridge.
  - North Labyrinth: place all four pillars on the platform.
  - North Lighthouse: do the place-a-box-between-the-door puzzle.
  - Flower Mountain: puzzle with the three warps.
  - Dankirk North Cave: hidden path.
  - Divine Shrine: playing notes.

 The dragon can be found in the "Small Shrine to Dragon Egg", next to
 Pico Forest.  After you give him the eight Dragon Eggs you've
 collected, you can choose between four things:

 1.  A SET OF 10 POTIONS:  It's the stat-boosting kind (ten Life,
     Spell, Speed, Mind and Power Potions and ten Braves).  Very
     useful, and my favorite choice.
 2.  A SET OF 20 FRUITS:  This package contains twenty Earth, Secret,
     Holy, Breeze, Charm, Dark, Flame and Magic Fruits--handy!  Note,
     however, that all fruit (except Magic Fruit) can be gotten from
     regular monsters.
 3.  ANCIENT SHIELD:  An Ancient Shield!  (Old Shield, in your
     inventory.)  It can only be worn by Guy, (Dekar,) and Artea, ups
     your AGL by 10 but is defense-wise not better than some of the
     Ancient Cave-shields.
 4.  A SET OF SUPER RINGS:  S-Power Ring, S-Pro Ring, S-Mind Ring, S-
     Witch Ring, S-Myst Ring, S-Thun Ring, S-Water Ring, S-Ice Ring.
     These can all be found elsewhere, and unless you're a frightfully
     obsessed treasure hunter, you should not get this.

 After you've been granted a wish, all eight eggs will be scattered
 throughout the whole world.  Chests you've opened may now contain a
 Dragon Egg--this is RANDOMLY, for all I know.  Use the Jewel Sonar
 (exchanged in the casino on Forfeit Island) at the entrance of every
 dungeon.  Using a flying Excerion is handy here, too.

 After you've recollected them, you can wish for another thing (even
 things you've chosen before).  Note that this can only be done FOUR
 times in total!  After you do that, the dragon gets pissed for doing
 all that stuff for you (well, at least *I* would be), and you can
 fight it!


 FIGHT THE DRAGON! ----------------------------------------------------

 Of course, the programmers found it necessary to screw up again.  You
 get two options:

 1.  Go back.  Battle
 2.  with the Egg Dragon!

 Choose option 1 to retreat, or option 2 to kick some dragon butt.

 Boss Strategy -- Egg Dragon:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Stats -- HP:     MP:    ATK:   DEF:   EXP:     G:      Drops:
            65535   2000   1500   500    60000    60000   --

   The Black Rabite of Lufia II... this is by far the hardest battle in
   the game.  Having the highest HP-amount (65,535) possible, armed
   with a bunch of BLOW AWAY-spells and being probably faster than you,
   it might take a while before you actually win.  Be at level 99 (or
   98) to make the battle easier, but still not easy.  Be sure to have
   a chunk of good equipment out of the Ancient Cave, and the stuff
   from the World's Most Difficult Trick, and the three items out of
   the Ancient Cave (behind the man) really help too (but they aren't
   totally necessary).  The Dragon Blade (Forfeit Island) is another
   really important thing, so have this on Guy (and Maxim, if you've
   got two).

   The Egg Dragon's attacks are "Over-easy" (random status effects to
   everyone), "Scrambled Egg" (mucho damage to a single person... will
   probably kill the unlucky one), "Sunny-side Up" (heavy Fire-damage
   to everyone), and Zap (you know, Artea's Zap).  You better heal when
   your HP is low, or you'll eat stratosphere when the dragon unloads a
   few more powerful attacks...

   Like you perhaps know already, the key to winning any hard fight is
   strategic use of IP.  You should start the battle by swinging a
   bunch of attacks that subtract HP by percentage.  Selan and Artea
   won't be attacking physically anyway, so you should get them Bunny
   Swords (Forfeit Island).  When they're not busy healing, let them
   unleash with "Battle Fury" (HP down by 25%).  Guy's only occupation
   should be attacking (either physically, or the Dragon Blade's IP
   when possible), and I'd let Maxim do the same.  Have him as a backup
   character (to restore status effects and all... be sure you have and
   use the right items/spells!).  Don't use magic--it's very
   ineffective.

   As for your Capsule Monster, erm, it'll bite the dust before it
   starts to do anything useful, so... don't worry 'bout that.  When
   you actually fight, use Trick, Courage, etc. too.  For extra
   protection, wear Flame Helmets and/or Flame Shields.  When you want
   to play really safe, have Selan cast Champion/Valor each round, even
   when nobody's injured, because the dragon attacks before you.

 Outside of battle, the dragon grants you the Egg Sword and the Egg
 Ring.  Yay!  Though the Egg Sword isn't very strong by itself, its IP
 is quite useful (random status effects, maybe instant death, i.e.
 cool).  The good thing too is that it requires a MEASLY amount of IP.
 But the Egg Ring!  Dude--equip it, and your character shall experience
 invincibility.  It bumps all stats to the max (everything +999, GUT
 +199).  Whoop!  Considering that you were already near-indestructible
 when you've fought the dragon (the only one matching your strength
 being that dragon), everything in your way will be eradicated.

   Note:  You can fight the dragon again after you defeat him, though
          you won't receive those items again (feh... you're already
          invincible).  Also, you can recollect those Dragon Eggs, even
          now they have no use anymore.  There's a certain bug, too,
          that says that you've collected 99 eggs instead of 40 (at the
          end of the game).


------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-D:  Start/Retry/Gift
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 This is comparable to the New Game + system of Chrono Trigger, but is
 different.  "Start", of course, is to start the game.  Whenever you
 beat the game, a new option, "Retry", appears.  This thing is the same
 as Start, but monsters leave quadruple (four times as much) experience
 and gold (except in the Ancient Cave)!  Beefing up your characters
 should be a breeze then...

 Gift is something different, and is unlocked by beating a Retry game
 once.  You start on Gruberik, and you can go to the Ancient Cave--but
 ONLY the Ancient Cave!  The good thing is that you can form your own
 party, or even go inside with Maxim alone!  Whenever you beat it,
 everything included, you get... nothing.  Yeah, crappy, ain't it?
 It's still a nice feature is you're obsessed with this kind of thing.

 On the select-your-save screen, Start games look normal, Retry games
 have a star in the upper-right corner, and Gift games have two stars
 there.  Probably so you can distinguish what is what... or something.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-E:  Capsule Monsters
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Did you miss a Capsule Monster?  Want to know how to evolve one into
 the Master level?  Need to find this fruit?  Students--this section is
 your Bible when it comes to Capsule Monsters.


 WHAT ARE CAPSULE MONSTERS? -------------------------------------------

 Capsule Monsters are Pokémon-type monsters that fight by your side.
 The difference with your regular party members is that you cannot
 control them--you can't tell them to attack, or defend, and you can't
 heal them either (except by using an IP that heals the entire team).
 There are seven of them in total, and each of them represents one of
 Lufia II's elements.

 A Capsule Monster's HP is at its max at the beginning of every fight.
 Whenever they get killed, fear not, they'll be there in the next
 fight.  Also, if a monster gets severely weakened, it will run away
 from the fight.  If the GUT-stat is low, then they'll escape more
 occasionally than others with more guts.

 As for attacks, Capsule Monsters only physically attack.  Randomly (I
 believe it's randomly... I don't think the monsters build up an IP-
 meter), they fire off one of their special skills (see the menu to see
 what specials they have).  These attacks are mostly offensive and are
 occasionally affiliated with an element, depending on which monster
 you use.


 FEEDING/EVOLVING THEM ------------------------------------------------

 Have a lot of abundant items and there's no recycle bin around?  Look
 no further!  Your Capsule Monster seems to eat items you feed it,
 whatever it is.  Except, of course, the crucial items like skills.
 The deal here is that they only like certain items, and dislike the
 cheap, worthless stuff (and how inconvenient; those just HAPPEN to be
 the things you want to get rid of).  Each monster has a GROW-bar,
 which consists of 32 "blocks".  The better the food, the more blocks
 you'll get; once you reach 32, your monster evolves!

 Evolving happens three times.  The Capsule Monsters each start at
 class 1, then evolve to class 2, then to 3, then 4.  Once they're at
 class 4, they'll say that they aren't hungry anymore, and won't accept
 any items you give.  One exception: if you feed them the fruit of
 their opposite element at a certain class (you can still change
 classes), they'll evolve into the secret Master level!  Obviously,
 they're stronger now.  To return, feed them the fruit of the element
 they correspond to.

 About feeding them: they request a certain item each time, which
 changes after a battle or after feeding.  You do not necessarily have
 to give them this, but doing so will increase their GROW-bar further.
 You gotta watch out with feeding, by the way--if you feed them cheap
 crap and they like it, no problemo.  If you, for a change, feed them
 an ultra-expensive thing, though, they discover there's more than
 those stupid blocks of wood the big folks call "shields".  Should this
 happen, your pets will demand the good stuff ONLY!  A bad idea.

 Oh, and on the menu screen (press X), you can press Select and the
 time/gold counter will show what your Capsule Monster wants.  Handy!
 When that item is flashing, it means you have it in your inventory.

 See the last two sub-sections below for more info.


 LOCATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------

 Gotta catch 'em all!

  + JELZE (FOOMY):  Found in the Foomy Woods.  Where are the Foomy
    Woods, you ask?  It's on the way from Sundletan to Alunze; when you
    leave the Shrine to Alunze Kingdom, go to the left on the world
    map, then go down.  Jelze looks like a blob of bubbles, until he
    reaches the Master level.

  + FLASH (SHAGGY):  Located in the North Dungeon, which is north of
    Bound Kingdom.  You know that room with those platforms with arrows
    on them, right?  Get to the lower-right room, which leads to Flash.
    On class 1, he is just a ball of hair, but later he becomes an
    angel.

  + GUSTO (HARD HAT):  This one is easy to find.  In the Tower of
    Sacrifice (the girls of Narcysus went there) is one room with two
    arrows, which you have to bomb in some certain order.  Right
    between them (below) is a room with the monster you seek.

  + ZEPPY (RED FISH):  Requires an Excerion that can dive underwater.
    Warp to Parcelyte, then go underwater.  Near you is a hole in the
    water, leading to a cave of which the name is messed up badly.

  + DARBI (MYCONIDO):  There's a crescent-shaped island somewhere.  You
    know the Triforce-shaped islands (Narvick)?  Darbi's place is south
    of it.  Requires Excerion, duh.

  + SULLY (RADDISHER):  Sully is found on the Flower Mountain, south of
    Treadool.  There's this certain room with a bunch of warps that you
    have to reach via a certain path; a door there leads to the top of
    the mountain with Sully.  When he's class 4, he's a blockhead,
    which looks MASSIVE!

  + BLAZE (ARMOR DOG):  Found in the Ruby Cave, north of Clamento.
    When you enter it, you can see it on your right; check the
    walkthrough (2-F) for details.  He is an Armor Dog, and looks
    like... a dog with armor.  The more you pump him full of food, the
    more he'll look more like a dragon.  Cool!  If you bump him to the
    Master level, he'll be a Phoenix!  Of course, the Phoenix is much,
    much, MUCH cooler...


 BATTLE USEFULNESS ----------------------------------------------------

 Note that I am too lazy to write in-depth descriptions for each
 Capsule Monster, so you'll have to wait for that...  Right now, I'll
 only discuss their stats.

  + JELZE (FOOMY):  Jelze is the first Capsule Monsters you (should)
    have gotten, and it seems he's just some dumb thing that fights by
    your side until you get more (better) Capsule Monsters.  Most of
    his stats seem below average, and, like I said, you should replace
    him when you get the chance to.  Jelze has no elemental
    affiliation, so the only thing he does is punching all over the
    place, which is either good or bad (up to you).

  + FLASH (SHAGGY):  Flash is loved by many because of his healing
    abilities, but let me first talk about his stats--it seems that
    every stat of his is below average, until he gains a few levels,
    when they'll be above average (except his INT-stat... it's high no
    matter what his level is).  The damage he deals isn't too
    wonderful, though, so if you want a buddy kicking some butt, Flash
    isn't for you.

  + GUSTO (HARD HAT):  As for his stats, some are below average, some
    are above.  Except for his agility, which is WAY above average
    (only Artea can keep up with him...).

  + ZEPPY (RED FISH):  Zeppy's defense is nothing to worry about: his
    physical defense is average, his HP is high, and his magic
    resistance is the highest of all.  Zeppy's element is Water.

  + DARBI (MYCONIDO):  Darbi's main weaknesses are his GUT-stat and his
    MGR-stat.  It is quite annoying when runs away when you need him,
    though these two stats aren't VERY important in battle.  His
    attacks are Dark-based (his set of attacks includes instant-kill-
    spells).  When you evolve him, he'll turn more into a Dragon, and
    he'll gain stronger attacks, plus his final (Master) form looks
    dangerous.

  + SULLY (RADDISHER):  Sully is sort of a second Dekar to your party.
    His physical strength is unmatched, his defense is the highest of
    all Capsule Monsters, and his HP is not much to worry about either.
    Having pumped-up stats means of course there are great weaknesses:
    magic attack and defense are horrible, and Sully is damn slow (i.e.
    all enemies are mostly killed already before he even gets his
    turn).

  + BLAZE (ARMOR DOG):  Blaze's element is Fire, which is a good thing
    since many enemies tend to dislike it.  Furthermore, his INT-stat
    (determines strength of magic) is quite high, so his fiery attacks
    are quite a big help to your party.  Although his physical strength
    is average, having Blaze in your party is no bad choice.


 FEEDING YOUR CAPSULE MONSTERS (CLASS 1 TO 4) -------------------------

 The better the item you feed the monster is, the more it fills the
 GROW-bar.  Better items are also more expensive, though, and feeding
 two cheap things instead of one expensive thing is better, if the
 effect is the same.  The fastest and cheapest way to get your Capsule
 Monster to the next class is to feed them these things:

  - On class 1, Battle Knives (200G in Sundletan).
  - On class 2, get them something five times as expensive, like Apple
    Ciders (1000G in Sundletan).
  - And on class 3, give them something that's worth 5000G or more,
    such as Bronze Swords (5000G in Bound Kingdom).

 The items I mentioned above each increase the GROW-bar by one block.
 If the monster WANTS the item, it increases the bar by three blocks.
 On class 1, they regularly request Long Knives (800G in Alunze); on
 class 2 they want Buster Swords (45,500G in Chaed!); and on class 3
 they want War Rapiers (7600G in Gruberik).  Battle Knives and Apple
 Ciders stay the cheapest for the first two classes, but War Rapiers
 can increase three blocks for 7600G instead of one block for 5000G.

 So a cheaper (but a bit lengthier) way to get your Capsule Monster
 from class 3 to 4 is to do this: buy a bunch of crap (Shrieks, 5G in
 Sundletan and more places).  Feed them a Shriek once; after this, they
 ALWAYS want a War Rapier.  So feed them a War Rapier, and then they
 want something else again.  Repeat.

   Note:  If you (accidentally) fed your pet an ultra-expensive thing,
          they demand good stuff and dislike cheap things.  To "cure"
          this, feed them worthless stuff a couple of times.  They will
          not like it, of course, but after a while, they start eating
          the cheaper items again.

 Here's how much you have to disburse:

  - Class 1 to 2: 6400G per monster.
  - Class 2 to 3: 32,000G per monster.
  - Class 3 to 4: 83,600G (excluding the costs of any Shrieks.

 So, to raise ALL Capsule Monsters from class 1 to 4, you'll need
 854,000G.  If you use Bronze Swords instead of doing the War Rapier
 trick, you'll need 160,000G per monster instead of 83,600G--and that's
 quite a difference, so I assume you won't do that...  If you follow my
 "advice", here's the shopping list: 224 Battle Knives, 224 Apple
 Ciders, 77 War Rapiers, and about 77 Shrieks.

   Note:  Seeing as Magic Fruits immediately bump off 8 slots, no
          matter what class your Capsule Monster is, it's the best to
          feed them those on class 3.  If you chose the 20 fruits from
          the Egg Dragon, then that can save you 418,000G, since you'll
          only have to buy 22 War Rapiers then!


 FEEDING YOUR CAPSULE MONSTERS (CLASS 4 TO M) -------------------------

 Here's a list sorta thing that shows you what fruit you need to evolve
 your Capsule Monster to class M.  The requirements for this are,
 besides the fruit of course, that the Capsule Monster must be on its
 max already, i.e. it says it isn't hungry anymore.  For example, you
 want to get Blaze to class M.  First beef him up 'til he's class 4,
 then switch back to form 3, and then give a Charm Fruit.

   Capsule:  Cl.:  Fruit:           To Revert:
   ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯  ¯¯¯¯  ¯¯¯¯¯¯           ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Jelze     4     Secret Fruit     Secret Fruit
   Flash     2     Dark Fruit       Holy Fruit
   Gusto     4     Earth Fruit      Breeze Fruit
   Zeppy     3     Flame Fruit      Charm Fruit
   Darbi     2     Holy Fruit       Dark Fruit
   Sully     4     Breeze Fruit     Earth Fruit
   Blaze     3     Charm Fruit      Flame Fruit

 And here's where to find fruits.  When you're fighting enemies to get
 fruit, be patient, because they aren't dropped very often...  Of
 course, you could go for the easier way, collect eight Dragon Eggs,
 and choose for 20 fruits (you'll get 20 of each).

   Breeze -- Green Clay (North Labyrinth); Serfaco (Tower of Truth).
   Charm  -- Evil Fish (Tower of Sacrifice); Merman (sea).
   Dark   -- Black Dragon (three towers).
   Earth  -- Chest (Dankirk North Dungeon); Behemoth (Dragon Mountain);
             Sand Gorem (North Labyrinth).
   Flame  -- Chest (Ruby Cave); Pug (Tower of Sacrifice).
   Holy   -- White Dragon (Chaed vicinity).
   Magic  -- Groupie (while fighting Idura).  Rare.
   Secret -- Chest (Alunze Castle Basement); two chests (Zeppy's Cave);
             Wood Gorem (Treasure Sword Shrine).


========================================================================
PART 4:  CHARTS
========================================================================

 Since I never got around to creating the charts for this game (but I
 hope I will be able to in the future), this section is empty for the
 moment (I refer you to any of the other complete FAQs on GameFAQs,
 which probably have the info you seek).


========================================================================
PART 5:  FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS
========================================================================

 Q:  Solution of this certain puzzle?  And where do you find that item?

 A:  What you seek can be found... in the FAQ.  Please read through it
     thoroughly and you will most likely find your answer.  I know it's
     big, but I guarantee that it's faster than e-mailing me and
     waiting for a reply, which, as a matter of fact, will not be sent
     at all if what you ask is clearly answered in this document.  If
     you're sure I have not included it in this document, tell me about
     it.


 Q:  Hey, I've fed my capsule monster this fruit, but it didn't evolve!

 A:  If I say you have to feed your Capsule Monster a certain fruit on
     level 3, then you must be sure you've first beefed it up to level
     4 and THEN you must switch back to level 3.  I know this leveling
     up and leveling down is weird.


 Q:  Oh no!  The Submarine Shrine is glitched!  I see chests and stuff
     and everything is screwed up.  Help?

 A:  Just something the programmers overlooked.  Walk up and you will
     reach something to continue.  The chests you see are sprites and
     cannot be reached (nor opened).


 Q:  Hm?  I beat the game and I didn't get Retry!

 A:  You are most likely using an emulator and you beat the game while
     making use of save-states.  You will have to save the game using
     the in-game save points instead of using the emulator's function.


 Q:  Why is this friggin' section so empty?  You suck!

 A:  Er, well, there're not much frequently-asked questions to speak
     of.  When many people ask me the same question, I'll consider
     answering it in here as well.  So... there you go.


 Q:  So, uh, this section was quite a waste of my time, eh?

 A:  Yeah.


 Q:  "Yeah," what?  You suck!

 A:  Glad you understand.


========================================================================
PART 6:  THE FAQ'S REAR BUTT
========================================================================

 Legal Junk:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   Copyright (c) 2002-2003 R.D. van Heuven van Staereling

   The FAQ is entirely unofficial, and may not be reproduced and/or
   altered (in part or in whole) without permission, except for
   personal, private use.  No complaining or breaking the rules, boy,
   or your ass and my foot will have an appointment.  Furthermore, all
   copyrights and trademarks contained within this document are owned
   by their respective holders--any usage of them in this file does not
   comprise a challenge to those rights.

   If you wish to host this file on your website, that's great--I only
   ask from you that you drop me a line first, asking me for permission
   (and you will almost always get it).  This way, I know where my work
   floats around on the Internet, and I will be able to send you any
   updates when I revise the FAQ.


 Special Thanks To:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
  - Nintendo, for their official strategy guide, which helped me with a
    few things I couldn't figure out myself...  The stupid puzzle with
    the box you have to place between the door is an example, and I had
    also no friggin' idea that you had to visit Jaffy during the
    Dankirk and Auralio incident...
  - Iron Knuckle, for his FAQ, which includes a third hidden pot in the
    Alunze Northwest Cave.  And I somewhat borrowed the layout he used
    for the bush puzzle in the Dragon Mountain.
  - Simpleton, for the solution to the World's Most Difficult Trick.  I
    was (still am, will forever be) too lazy to make my own.
  - Basil Brush, who created a monster list, from which I've copied the
    boss stats and put them in their respective boss strategies.


 Revision History:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   0.0  -- 06/01/02 -- Started it, for some reason.
   0.6  -- 07/10/02 -- Released; walkthrough and some stuff done.
   0.9  -- 09/08/02 -- Filling incomplete sections (birthday update!).
   1.0  -- 10/27/02 -- No to-be-finished sections anymore!
   1.01 -- 01/24/03 -- Quick changes (nothing important).
   1.1  -- 09/08/03 -- Layout revision, reorganizations, more info
                       (second birthday-update!).


 Final Words...:
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
   I can see you have absolutely nothing better to do than to scroll
   all the way to the bottom of this document and read my last words.
   I'll keep it short: thanks for reading!  Unless you're one of those
   people that read from bottom to top, in which case: enjoy!

     -- phx


   Thanks for reading!

   SHAMELESS PLUG--other FAQs written by me, myself, and I:
   http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/19734.html

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