The Ultimate 'Super Castlevania IV' Walkthrough/FAQ
                     Version 1.0 (Dec 17, 2001)
                       written by Elbryan42

                 This document Copyright 2001 Elbryan42

Before we get started, though I'm pretty sure I know this game inside
and out, I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something. If I'm wrong
in my info, missed a secret, etc, be free to email me at:

[email protected]

Also, this FAQ was done for a site for Good Richter, a fellow member in
the Castlevania community. His site is called "The Super Castlevania 4
Treasury" which is located at:

http://scv41.tripod.com/scv4treasury/

I did the design on this site. I also have a webpage, devoted to
Doom, rippped Video Game Music, and Cartoons. It's called "Elbryan42's
Doom Depot". It's located at:

http://depot.wrong.button.com/

Both sites are awesome. Check em out!

Thank you. Enjoy the Walkthrough/FAQ!

*********************
**TABLE OF CONTENTS**
*********************

01. Introduction
02. What is Castlevania? (Game & Series Info)
03. Differences Between Japanese & North American Verisons
04. Controls
05. Weapons
06. Sub-Weapons
07. Other Items
08. Various Gameplay Stuff & Hints
09. Walkthrough
10. Bestiary
11. Special Thanks
12. Legal Crap

*********************
**01 - INTRODUCTION**
*********************

My first memory of Castlevania was watching Gamepro TV one Saturday
morning and what I saw shocked me. A review of Super Castlevania 4.
I taped it, and watched it, rewound it, watched it, you get the idea.
I don't know how the tape withstood the rewinding and replaying,
but somehow it did. It's from the final episode of Gamepro, that is,
the first run of the show when it was on NBC. The episode was a recap
of the best games reviewed in the "16-Bit Edge". The reviews included
Actraiser (SNES), Lemmings (SNES), Madden Protalk Football (Genesis),
Super Wrestlemania (SNES), Smash TV (SNES), & Wanderers from Ys (SNES).
But the one I watched over and over was the Super Castlevania 4 segment.
Now the BETA VCR that I watched it on ceases to work, but still the
review is etched in my mind.

I bought a SNES just for the game, and got the game on Christmas
morning. The first game I beat without cheating. The first game
I truly experienced. One of my first gaming experiences. (I was
deprived as a child and never owned a NES until 2 years later.)

Something about the game just gripped me. Don't know if it was the
awesome music, the bosses, the gameplay, or the atmosphere of the
game. Definitely one of the best games ever made.

I originally beat the game countless times without using special
weapons, except for Dracula. Never knew about the secret rooms, or
the invisible platform at the end. These secrets will be mentioned
in the walkthrough.

Well... I've yapped long enough about how much I love this game,
but now it's time to get to business...

**************************************************
**02 - WHAT IS CASTLEVANIA? (GAME & SERIES INFO)**
**************************************************

Castlevania is a series where you play as a member (or ancestor) of the
Belmont family. Your goal is to destroy the legendary Vlad Tepes Dracula.
Your weapon is a whip called the Vampire Killer. The games all basically
have an action feel to them. According to legend Dracula comes back every
100 years.

Castlevania was concieved back in 1986. It was called Vampire Killer,
and it was for the Japanese computer, the MSX. You played as Simon
Belmont, who sets off to detroy Dracula. It had a "hide and seek" feel
to the action.

A year later (1987) some gameplay elements were changed,
to fit more of an action game, and was brought out for the Nintendo
Entertainment System as Akumajo Dracula (Demon Castle Dracula) in Japan,
or Castlevania in North America. Ports of the first Castlevania game have
graced the Arcade (as VS. Castlevania), IBM PC, and the Commodore 64.

In 1988, Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest came out for the NES. Simon had a
curse that could kill him if he doesn't collect the body parts of Dracula
and kill him again. This had some role-playing elements. Also, an arcade
game, Haunted Castle, was brought out. Simon's wife gets kidnapped and he
must save her from Dracula. Please note, that Haunted Castle doesn't fit
into the Castlevania storyline in any way. In 1989, the first Castlevania
Game Boy game came out. You played as Christopher Belmont, the grandson
of Simon Belmont.

In 1990, Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse came out for the NES. You played
as Trevor Belmont, which is the granfather of Simon Belmont. The action
roots from the first Castlevania were back, as well as the ability to
switch characters (Sypha Belnades, Alucard, and Grant DeNasty). This is a
favorite of many people. In 1991, Castlevania 2 for the Game Boy. You once
again played as Christoper Belmont, rescuing his son from Dracula.

Also in 1991, the subject of this Walkthrough/FAQ, Super Castlevania 4
came out for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This was made by a
completely different team than the earlier games. Thus, some gameplay
additions, such as the multi-directional whip, only appear in this game.
The question as to where this game happens in the Castlevania storyline
is raised frequently. Though there's barely any simularites between this
and the first Castlevania, it's meant to be a remake. An incredibly well
done remake.

In 1993, the original Castlevania was remade for the EX68000 computer in
Japan. It, for the most part, stayed true to the original Castlevania.
This game was recently re-released for the Playstation as Castlevania
Chronicles. Also, the heavily sought-after Dracula X: Rondo of Blood was
released for the PC Engine in Japan. You played as Richter Belmont, and
you could also change to another character, Maria Renard. This game took
place in the late 1700s, 100 years after Simon Belmont.

In 1994, a Castlevania game that takes place in the early 1900s came out
for the Sega Genesis. You could play as John Morris (descendant of Simon
Belmont, or his friend Eric Lecarde. You fought both Dracula and his
neice, Elizabeth Bartley. In 1995, Dracula X was redone as Dracula XX
and brought out for the SNES. It was a lackluster port. It doesn't compare
to the PC Engine version.

In 1995, the Dracula X series was continued with Castlevania: Symphony
of the Night for the Sony Playstation. You played as Alucard, or Adrian
Fahrenheits Tepes, Dracula's son, as he seeks to destroy is father. This
had many RPG elements (items, going up levels, familiars, etc) and is
one of the best games in the series. This was also released for the Sega
Saturn in Japan with extra levels and characters.

In 1998, Castlevania Legends was released for the Game Boy. You played as
Sonia Belmont, the first Belmont to carry the whip. In 1999, Castlevania
64 came out for the N64. You played as Reinhart Schnider (Belmont ancestor),
or as Carrie Fernadez (Sypha ancestor). It was set in 3D, and wasn't as
widely loved as the rest of the series.

In 2001, a port of Castlevania EX68000 came out for the Sony Playstation
called Castlevania Chronicles. As well, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
was released for the brand new Game Boy Advance. You played as Nathan
Graves (a Belmont ancestor) to save is master, Morris Baldwin, from
Dracula. It had very similar gameplay to Castlevania: Symphony of the
Night, and is another favorite.

That's all of the games so far. Onto the FAQ!

*****************************************************************
**03 - DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPANESE AND NORTH AMERICAN VERSIONS**
*****************************************************************

Though the North American version of Super Castlevania 4 still has a
place in my heart for being the first one I played to death, the
Japanese version is so much better. Sure, they have the EXACT same
gameplay, but the North American version is heavily censored, and
there are some differences that got changed for some reason. The only
Japanese you have to worry about it is the title pic and the opening
text. Menus, and text everywhere else is English. Here are the
differences and advantages of the Japanese version:

First, the whip actually sounds like a chain, compared to a squishy
sound. Don't know why they changed this.

The pale, generic SNES lettering is replaced with a rich, stylized
font. Makes the North American version version look bland.

There's blood. Not bucketloads, but little touches here and there.
Blood on the tips of spikes for example. Also, on the title screen,
blood drips from the title pic. The huge difference is that the blood
pools, drops, and waterfalls in stage 8 are slime in North America.
It still looks cool, but blood fits the torture chamber atmosphere
better.

In the North American version, besides the Crucifix and Boomerang
items, all crosses have been taken out. Dracula's tombstone, the
casket enemies, caskets in stage 8, tombstones in stage 2, and more,
now have crosses. Also, for somereason Dracula's name on his tombstone
was taken out of the North American version as well.

The bosses are SLIGHTLY faster and SLIGHTLY more aggressive. You'll
notice Rowdain jump down from above more often, and Puxewil will use
his tongue, shoot fireballs, and move faster, for instance.

The statues in level 6 are naked in the Japanese version. In the North
American version, they're wearing robes.

There's no slowdown in the Japanese version! WTF? I can't understand
it...

*****************
**04 - CONTROLS**
*****************

LEFT/RIGHT - Walks left or right. Unlike the NES Castlevanias,
walks down stairs at the end of a platform instead of falling
to your doom.

DOWN - Crouch. You can push down/left and down/right to shimmy
along the ground. A first and only in Castlevania. Climbs down
stairs as well. Down+Jump jumps down off of stairs.

UP - Climbs stairs up, as well as latching onto stairs in midair.
This drastically makes the game faster by jumping straight up, and
latching onto the stairs near the top. Also nice when falling down.

Y - Attack. Attacks with your whip. Whip is explained in Weapons
section.

B - Jump. Down+Jump jumps down off of stairs. Another first in
Castlevania, you can control your jumps in the air with left and
right.

R - Sub-Weapon (BTW, I like reassigning this to X). Explained further
in Sub-Weapons section.

****************
**05 - WEAPONS**
****************

WHIP - Your main weapon. Actually called the "Vampire Killer". It
has 3 modes. First you start off with a short leather whip. Then,
if you pick up a Morning Star (the first heart you grab), you get
a short chain whip. Then, when you hit 8 hearts, your next heart
will be another Morning Star, upgrading your whip to a long chain
whip.

The whip is more advanced than in the previous games (and games
after). You can whip in 8 directions, even in the air. If you hold
down the attack button, you can flail around a limp whip using the
d-pad, which does half the damage of the normal attack.

Also another addition that's in no other Castlevania game, is you
can swing with the whip using floating rings thoughout the game.
Awesome feature. Once you're on a ring, left and right swings, up
and down lengthens and shortens your whip.

********************
**06 - SUB-WEAPONS**
********************

Before I get to the Sub-Weapons I have to mention how they work.
The most common thing to come out of candles are hearts. There are
2 varieties: Big and Small. Big hearts are worth 5, and Small hearts
are worth 1. These fuel your sub-weapons. All of the weapons use one
heart, with the exception of the Stopwatch, which uses 5.

You press R to use sub-weapons, again, a break from the norm from
other Castlevania games, as opposed to Up+Attack everywhere else.

Normally you can only fire off one at once, but if you use the
weapon enough, one of the heart candles will cough up a Double-Shot
(II block) and then a Triple-Shot (III block), which allow you to fire
2 at a time, or 3 at a time. The blocks also tend to be hidden in
walls. If you pick up a new sub-weapon however, you lose the blocks,
and can only fire one at a time again.

DAGGER - You throw the dagger straight ahead. Half the strength of
the whip, pretty useless.

AXE - You throw the axe up on an angle. Perfect for airborne enemies.

HOLY WATER - You throw it, it crashes on the ground, and a few flames
burn for a second or two.

STOPWATCH - Stops time for 5 seconds. Pefect for those annoying Medusa
Heads and areas you like to skip fast. Not much use for anything else.

BOOMERANG (CROSS, WHATEVER) - The best weapon in the game. Especially
when it uses 1 heart here, instead of 5 everywhere else. It goes
forward slow enough to hit stuff multiple times (with the same of damage
as a whip) and when it hits the edge of the screen and then comes back
causing more damage. Kills bosses in seconds. In my opinion makes the
game way too easy. I still play the game using no subweapons, BTW. More
fun. :)

********************
**07 - OTHER ITEMS**
********************

MONEY BAGS - Pick these up for points. They have 4 varieties: $100,
$300, $500, and $700

POTION - Invulnribility. Lasts for a short time. You will pass thru
enemies, but not kill them.

1-UP - Only in one spot in the game, but should be mentioned.

DRUMSTICK - Replenishes 1/4 of your life.

POT ROAST - Replenishes 1/2 of your life.

MORNING STAR - Appears after 1 and 8 hearts to upgrade your whip.

CRUCIFIX - Destroys everything on the screen.

MAGIC CRYSTAL - Pick up this sphere after every boss to tally
you hearts, life, and finish the level.

***************************************
**08 - VARIOUS GAMEPLAY STUFF & HINTS**
***************************************

-You can break some blocks for items.

-You can't jump up stairs like in later games. You can, however, jump down
off of stairs with JUMP + DOWN.

-All spikes kill you instantly.

-Water/Sludge/Blood/Coin Pools will cause you to sink. Sink above your head,
and you're dead.

-You get an extra life at 200,000, 500,000 and every 500,000 points after
that.

-The Blood/Sludge in stage 8 can hurt you. The drops that drip from the
ceiling and the pools will both hurt you.

-Beating the game will allow you to take the Second Quest. This will allow
you to play the game through again, but with more enemies, and the enemies
take 1 extra hit each to kill.

-On stage 9, if you hop on a chest 50 times, it'll give up a Drumstick.

-There's a glitch in the game. If there's an enemy that walks along a
platform, if you go back to scroll the platform on the screen, then
forward again, there's a chance the enemy will be gone!

-If you're ever below an enemy, it's usually easier to just whip up
through the floor and kill it.

********************
**09 - WALKTHROUGH**
********************

[TITLE SCREEN/PASSWORD]
[TRACK - DEMON CASTLE DRACULA PART 1]

You can start an new game, enter a password, or go to the options. In
the options you can set your buttons (I for instance, prefer my sub-
weapons as button X), and a sound and music test. When you enter a new
game, you can enter a name. It doesn't matter what name you enter, just
for novelty I guess. Before the first stage, you see a scene of Simon
looking up at the lurking Castlevania.

[OPENING]
[TRACK - DRACULA'S THEME]

Every one hundred years the forces of good mysteriously start to weaken.
Thus, the power if Dracula starts to revive itself.
His power grows stronger and stronger every one hundred years.

Dracula has revived many times. However, his sinister actions have been
thwarted by the Belmont family.

It's been one hundred years since the last confrontation between Dracula
and the Belmont family. But now the serenity of Transylvania is being
thwarted by destructive forces.

On a dark and eerie night Dracula rose from his grave to unleash his
destructive power over the countryside.

Once again Simon Belmont is called upon to destroy Dracula. With only
his whip and courage he sets out to restore peace to Transylvania.

[NAME ENTRY/GATES OF CASTLEVANIA - INTO STAGE 1]
[TRACK - Demon Castle Dracula]

Welcome to Super Castlevania 4! In the first stage takes you through
across a drawbridge, a viney garden, the inner garden complex, and
the stables. Kind of a break from the norm of just about every
Castlevania game having the first stage of the very first Castlevania.
Not having the 'first stage' is just the beginning of the refreshing
differences to the series this game has to offer. The boss of the first
stage is Rowdain, a skeleton atop a spectral horse.

[BLOCK 1-1-1 - The Drawbridge]
[TRACK - PROLOGUE]
[ENEMIES - None]
[CANDLES - Small Heart x 4, Large Heart x 1, Dagger x 1]

Your basic "power-up" part of the first stage that just about every
Castlevania has. The dagger is up the stairs. At the end of this area
are some crumbling blocks followed by a drawbridge that starts to close
the moment you hit it. Basic, but nice effect.

**Notice when you enter the area, bats are flying out of the "skull-
mountain" in the background. Nice.

[BLOCK 1-1-2 - The Viney Garden]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Skeleton]
[CANDLES - Small Heart x 13, Large Heart x 3, $300 x 1, $500 x 4,
Drumstick x 1, Crucifix x 1]

Nice area. The cool part of this area is the ability to go in front of
and behind the fence (press up in front of the gates). This area is
pretty straightforward. There's a pit in the center, causing you to
have to go behind the fence to continue. Before you go up the stairs
behind the fence, be sure to go underneath the platform, and use the
gate to go in front of the fence to get the candles there. After the
platform, you drop down, and continue on. Keep an eye out for the high
candle with the Crucifix. Walk into the Garden Complex to finish the
area.

**As you enter this area, the fence will come up. Another nice effect
is when you pass some bars, vines will snake up them. Lastly the statue
at the top of the archway at the end of this area has glowing eyes.

[BLOCK 1-2-1 - Garden Complex I]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Bone Pillar, Bat, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 7, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 2, $500 x 1,
Pot Roast x 1, Dagger x 1, Axe x 1, Potion x 1]

Right off the bat, you fight a Bone Pillar. Also, you pick up the
boomerang, by far the best weapon in the game. Right after the Bone Pillar,
is an alcove with a candle that holds an axe. At the end of the alcove is
a fake wall. Break the wall for a Pot Roast. Work your way around the wall,
and you will pick up a Potion, which will give you temporary invulribility.
Work your way up the platforms and climb the stairs to finish this area.

[BLOCK 1-2-2 - Garden Complex II]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Bone Pillar, Bat, Skeleton, Club Zombie]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, $100 x 1, $300 x 1, Drumstick x 1]

Work your way up, and kill the skeleton. Think of this area as a training
area for one of the most useful and fun techniques in the game, the whip
swing. Right after the skeleton, there's something that kinda looks like a
bat, but with a ring instead of a head. These are called anchors. When you
hit it with your whip, and hold the button, you can swing using left and
right. Up and down lenghtens and shortens the whip. The next ring, however,
doesn't have a platform below it, so you can die. Swing across the gap, and
work your way down the platforms to the next area.

[BLOCK 1-2-3 - Garden Complex III]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Bone Pillar, Bat, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, $300 x 1, $500 x 3, Pot Roast x 1]

You're almost out of the Garden Complex. The first candle you come to
holds a Potion. Also, when you drop down from the platform, where the
skeletons are, hit the wall behind you. It holds a Pot-Roast or, if you
have a Sub-Weapon, a Double-Shot (or Triple-Shot). Work your way left
and you exit this area.

[BLOCK 1-3-1 - The Stables I]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Mr. Hed, Viper Swarm]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 12, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 1, $300 x 3,
$500 x 1, $700 x 1, Holy Water x 1]

You are now in the Stables area. You can pick up the Holy Water right
away. As you enter into the Stables structure, some Viper Swarms will
fall on you. Work your way to the right killing the Mr. Heds along the
way. Before you climb the stairs, there's another secret, in the far
right wall, which holds a Large Heart. Go up the stairs, and go left
and go up the stairs.

[BLOCK 1-3-2 - The Stables II]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Medusa Head, Ghost, Viper Swarm]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Large Heart x 1, Drumstick x 1, Dagger x 1,
Stop Watch x 1]

You can pick up a Stop Watch right away, which is a nice thing to have
if you're not used to Medusa Heads, which can be aggravating meeting
them for the first time. To top it all off, you also encounter trap
doors for the first time. If you fall, or jump on a trap door, you have
a split second to get off of it, before it flips, causing you to fall,
usually to your death. Work your way right, picking up a Dagger if you
wish. You will encounter Ghosts as well, which are slow and easy to beat.
Watch out for the trap door, which is right below where you have to drop
down. Go down (avoiding the Viper Swarm), to enter the final area.

**Look at the background through the windows. You will see some spectral
horses, foreshadowing the boss of this stage.

[BLOCK 1-3-3 - The Stables III]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]
[ENEMIES - Viper Swarm]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 2, Drumstick x 1]

Not much left. Drop your way down (avoiding another Viper Swarm and trap
doors). There's one final Drumstick to fill your life before you face the
boss, Rowdain.

[BOSS - ROWDAIN]
[TRACK - BOSS 1]

This boss gets A for coolness, and style. An F for putting up a fight.
Rowdain is a skeleton with a lance, that rides a spectral horse.

The horse is the tougher part. It reacts like a walking Bone Dragon. It
just fires some fireballs. Nothing really tough, but the erratic fireballs
pose some challenge.

When Rowdain is down to half energy, he'll lose his horse. He'll jab at
you with his lance and jump up and fall at you from above. When he has one
hit left, he fakes his death by splitting apart, then going back together.

Easy first boss. Just keep hitting him. Simple.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 2]
[TRACK - MAP A]

Stage 2 is best described as the Wilderness stage. The first part has you
going through a forest, then you go through a swamp, and finally some river
rapids. This is one of my favorite levels, the music, the variety, and it
all fitting together flawlessly. The boss of this stage is Medusa. She's
located smack-dab in the middle of the stage. A bit of a change in flow.

[BLOCK 2-1 - Forest of Monsters]
[TRACK - FOREST OF MONSTERS]
[ENEMIES - Grabbing Hand, Spider, Leaf Monster, Porcupine, Ground Zombie]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 13, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 1, $300 x 1, $700 x 1,
Drumstick x 1, Axe x 1, Boomerang x 1]

This is the forest part of the stage. Beware of the annoying Grabbing
Hands. Though they don't do damage, they'll hold you still with the
purpose of letting other enemies hit you. Also watch for the camoulflaged
Leaf Monsters, and the Spiders. The Spiders come down, shoot a smaller
spider at you, and retreat. Continue right and you'll come to a rocky
area. The porcupines here are a cinch, since they never leave the
platform they're on. Move up, and jump across the pit of spikes, and
continue right through the forest. Some Ground Zombies will rise from
the ground. A lone prorcupine and some Leaf Monsters are in this part
as well. You will reach the end of this area.

**The multi-scrolling cloud effect in Blocks 2-1 and 2-2 is a nice touch.
This is one of the first games to use this cool effect. The tombstones
in the background have crosses on them in the Japanese version.

[BLOCK 2-2 - The Swamp, The Clifftops, & The Bridges]
[TRACK - FOREST OF MONSTERS]
[ENEMIES - Blue Raven, Frog, Bat, Porcupine, Skeleton, Thornweed]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 2, $300 x 1, $500 x 3,
$700 x 1, Drumstick x 1, Pot Roast x 1, Dagger x 1, Boomerang x 1,
Stop Watch x 1]

The swamp is the frist part of this area. Work your way right, dealing with
the Blue Ravens as you go. You will soon come to the main swamp. (Annoying)
Frogs jump at you from underneath. Continue to the right. You'll come to
the bottom of a cliff face. Before heading up, break the wall behind where
the Porcupine was to get a Pot Roast. Continue up to the bridges. Use the
platform to get to them. Cross the bridges, and prepare to fight Medusa.

**A cool addition to the rope bridge in this stage is when you jump, the
rope vibrates, and of course, the logs move according to where you are on
the bridge.

[BOSS - MEDUSA]
[TRACK - BOSS 1]

Medusa poses a bit of a challenge if you don't have a long range weapon.
She has 2 attacks. The first is a fireball that turns you to stone, and
her snakes that she throws to random spots on the ground. The snakes are
the tricky part. You can duck to avoid the fireball, and you can whip the
snakes she throws. If you have a Dagger or Boomerang, you can stay to the
right out of range of her vision and just whip the snakes, while lobbing
sub-weapons at her.

[BLOCK 2-3-1 - The River Rapids I]
[TRACK - FOREST OF MONSTERS]
[ENEMIES - Gremlin, The Claw, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, $100 x 2, $300 x 1, $700 x 1, Drumstick x 1,
Axe x 1, Potion x 1]

The rapids are unique. They either flow right or left. It changes at
various times. This makes it tougher to avoid spikes, which kill you
instantly. There are spikes in the stream, and on rock outcroppings,
should you accidently jump into them. The Gremlins are super easy to beat,
but the Claws can be a bit annoying. They latch onto you and sap your
hearts. Continue down and to the right to the next area.

**This is one of the first games to use transparencies correctly. The
stream looks awesome. A nice touch to the stream is there are bubbles
behind or in front of Simon, depending on the way the river is flowing.

[BLOCK 2-3-2 - The River Rapids II]
[TRACK - FOREST OF MONSTERS]
[ENEMIES - Gremlin, The Claw, Bat, Bone Pillar]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 8, $300 x 2, $500 x 1, $700 x 1, Boomerang x 1,
1-UP]

Continue to the right, using the same strategies from the last area.
You can once again get the Boomerang in this area. After the first
decline, there will be a pair of arches. Whip at the second one for
a hidden 1-UP

[MAP - INTO STAGE 3]
[TRACK - MAP A]

Talk about atmosphere! This is one stage where the music makes the
difference. From the peaceful harp and flute music in the Cave to the
almost depressing piano music in the Waterfalls, it just adds to the
stage. Just like stage 2, this stage covers a variety of locales: A
cave, some waterfalls, and a submerged city. The atmosphere just makes
you feel wet and cold without actually being there.

[BLOCK 3-1 - The Cave]
[TRACK - THE CAVE]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Bone Pillar, Mudman, Falling Rock]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 20, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 2, $300 x 3, $500 x 5,
$700 x 3, Pot Roast x 1, Axe x 1, Holy Water x 1, Boomerang x 1]

The cave is a nice, soothing break from the high paced action of the
last 2 stages. In this stage, there's mudmen galore. Hit them, and they
break down to 2 smaller mudmen, and so on. There's a secret to the left
of where you drop down for the first time, behind a Bone Pillar. Just
keep hitting the fake walls. The secret area has a Boomerang, a Pot
Roast, some hearts, and some money. On the bottom part of this area
there's falling rocks. The splash damage of some of them is farther than
usual, so proceed with caution. Continue down and to the left to complete
this area.

**I love the dripping water everywhere. The sound of the water dripping
fits with the music. The decayed look of the rock gives it a spongy,
dank look to the area. The parallax scrolling in this area is awesome
as well.

[BLOCK 3-2 - The Waterfalls]
[TRACK - THE WATERFALLS]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Bone Pillar, Thornweed, Electric Ball]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 12, Large Heart x 3, $300 x 1, $500 x 1,
$700 x 1, Dagger x 1, Boomerang x 1, Stop Watch x 1]

This area can be a pain at first. The Electric Balls especially.
You'll see a few whip anchors here as well. At the beginning is
a collapsing bridge, but if you keep moving you should be fine.
On the bridge is a Boomerang. Work your way up, and exit to the
right of this area.

**Nice transparancies on the waterfalls at the top of the area.
This area is gorgeous.

[BLOCK 3-3-1 - The Submerged City I]
[TRACK - THE SUBMERGED CITY]
[ENEMIES - Merman, Bone Dragon, Evil Eye]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 12, Large Heart x 1, $300 x 1, Boomerang x 1]

Welcome to the submerged city. Mermen jump up at you at the beginning
of the area. They also try to spit at you as well. At a point before
you enter the structure, some debris (3 pieces) and some bricks (4
pieces) fall from above. Wait until they all fall before continuing.
Also what's new are the crumbling bricks right after the debris. These
will be throughout the game. They have 3 stages (1 second each) of
crumbling, then fall. Don't dawdle on these bricks. As you enter the
structure, a new enemy, the Evil Eye. It flies above you back and forth
a few times, dropping flames on you. After a while it'll dive at you.
Also, a Boomerang is right at the start of the structure, which will
be one of the last chances to get a weapon on this stage. There's not
much for health and weapons for the remaider of the stage. Also, before
the end of the area, you meet a Bone Dragon for the first time. It fires
fireballs at you eratically. Just keep hitting him, and he'll eventually
die. It's common for Bone Dragons to leave items when they die, 8 of a
particular item. Small hearts this time. Continue up to the next area.

[BLOCK 3-3-2 - The Submerged City II]
[TRACK - THE SUBMERGED CITY]
[ENEMIES - Merman, Thornweed, Bone Dragon, Evil Eye, Electric Ball]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 12, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 1, Drumstick x 1,
Dagger x 1]

Right away, you will have to fight another Bone Dragon. It'll cough up
another 8 small hearts. Right before him is a Drumstick. This is the
last one until the end of the level. It's easy to miss since it's easy
to hit the candle when you're fighting the Bone Dragon. Contintue on,
kiling another Evil Eye, and avoiding the spits from the Mermen below.
There are a few anchors that you will have to use to go on. Continue
right and up to exit this area.

**The transparencies are great in this stage as well. When you pass
through the waterfalls, bubbles flow over your character. Also, as
you pass some parts of this stage, waterfalls appear. Nice effect.

[BLOCK 3-3-3 - The Submerged City III]
[TRACK - THE SUBMERGED CITY]
[ENEMIES - Club Zombie, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 3, Large Heart x 1, $700 x 1, Axe x 1,
Crucifix x 1]

When you come up, kill the Club Zombie. The top candle is a Crucifix.
Use it to get rid of the majority of the skeletons. Use the anchors to
get along the bottom to the left, below the platform. One anchor is
tougher to hit. Using a limp whip makes catching the anchor easier.
Jump up the crumbling bricks and up the stairs to complete this area.

[BLOCK 3-3-4 - The Submerged City IV]
[TRACK - THE SUBMERGED CITY]
[ENEMIES - Bone Dragon, Blue Raven, Skeletal Knight, Electric Ball]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Large Heart x 8, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
Drumstick x 1]

The final stretch before the boss. Just work your way up. Most of the
enemies are easily defeated by whipping striaght up. Watch out for the
Blue Ravens, as you don't see them until they attack. Take heed of the
crumbling bricks at the top.

[BOSS - ORPHIC VIPERS]
[TRACK - BOSS 1]

Okay. The Orphic Vipers boss is two snake heads. The first head fires
a purple flame at a downward angle. It's easy to avoid. The second
head fires 3 blue fireballs. These are trickier to avoid. Just keep
whipping (or throwing sub-weapons) at the heads from the middle
platform. They'll be dead in no time.

**Kinda cool how the tower fills with water before the Orphic Vipers
appear.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 4]
[TRACK - MAP A]

Since this is one of the first great games for the SNES, think of Stage
4 as being the "show off the SNES's abilities" stage. The music for the
first block has a spooky overtone, both with the music, and the
backgrounds. The second is just filled with Mode 7 graphics. Even the
stage boss, Koronot, uses Mode 7 graphics.

[BLOCK 4-1-1 - Clockwork Mansion I]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 1)]
[ENEMIES - Club Zombie, Wall Zombie, Skeletal Knight]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 8, Large Heart x 4, $300 x 1, $700 x 1]

First thing to do is go below the platform ahead. Behind the Wall Zombie,
in the wall, is a Large Heart. Take the stairs up. Watch out for the
Club Zombie. Continue on, watching out for the trap floors. Take the
stairs down, then hop up the moving platforms to the stairs to head up
to the next area.

**Watch the skulls in the background closely. They follow Simon with
their glowing red eyes wherever he goes. Add that to the spooky music,
and you expect anything to jump out at you.

[BLOCK 4-1-2 - Clockwork Mansion II]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 1)]
[ENEMIES - Wall Zombie, Skeleton, Hanging Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 7, Large Heart x 2, $300 x 1, $500 x 1, Axe x 1]

Go up, taking care of the Skeletons on the way. Then work your way left,
across the trap-floor platforms. Be sure to jump the second you land, or
else you'll fall. Across the gap, keep going left, killing the Skeletons
and the Hanging Skeletons on the way. At the end, there will be a high
road and a low road. There are trap-floors on both levels, so if you drop
from the top, you land on a trap-floor on the bottom. Go up, and up the
stairs to the next area.

[BLOCK 4-1-3 - Clockwork Mansion III]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 1)]
[ENEMIES - Skeletal Knight, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 4, Large Heart x 2, $500 x 1, $700 x 1,
Drumstick x 1]

There is a Drumstick in the candle above the trap-floor platform. The
best way to get the Drumstick is to whip the candle, then make the jump.
Take the high road, and go right. Mind the trap-floors. At the end
you'll meet Puxewil.

[BOSS - PUXEWIL]
[TRACK - BOSS 1]

The only mid-level-boss in the game. His name backwards is "Lix Ew Up".
Puxewil is a huge skull that attacks in various ways. One of his attacks,
like his name suggests, is a tongue attack. He also spews 3 clouds of
poisonous gas, he also moves toward you on the screen, trying to move
over you. Lastly, everytime you hit him, rocks will fall from above.

The best strategy is to stay on the left side of the screen and keep
whipping him. When the rocks fall, whip straight up to take out any
rocks that may hurt you. Also, when he shoots the clouds at you, just
use your whip to get rid of them. Almost right away, he'll move above
you. If you keep whipping him (straight up) you'll hurt him and also
take care of any falling rocks. He'll be dead before he even tries
advancing again.

Take note: The Japanese version has a slightly faster, more
aggressive Puxuewil. He'll spew out poison clouds more often and
use his tongue a lot more.

**Some cool effects to this boss. First, when you hurt him, parts
of the skull will crumble away. Also, when he spits the poisonous
gas clouds, he singes the background.

[BLOCK 4-2 - Clockwork Mansion IV - Spikes & Medusa Heads]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 1)]
[ENEMIES - Medusa Head]
[ITEMS - None]

A simple area. Take the stairs up. Whip the anchor and hang on. The room
will rotate around you. When the rotating stops, drop to the platform.
If you hate Medusa Heads, you'll be swearing. A swarm will come at you
from both sides. Kill them all. The frustrating part is that if they hit
you, you'll be pushed back, and into the spikes and die. After all of
the heads are gone. Hold onto the anchor again. The room once again
rotates. A pathway then gets created. Take the pathway left to exit the
area.

**The rotating room is a nice touch. This room is basically for novelty
reasons, but cool nontheless.

[BLOCK 4-3 - Clockwork Mansion V - Rotating Dungeon]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 2)]
[ENEMIES - Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 13, Large Heart x 1, $300 x 1, $500 x 1,
Drumstick x 1, Crucifix x 1]

Don't let the spinning background distract you. Work your way right
across the platforms. The platforms fall as you pass them. Skeletons
will break in from the background when you least expect it. Continue
right to get to the final area of this stage.

**This room is one of the first technical feats ever to be seen on
the SNES. The whole background spins, and Skeletons will even break
out of the background itself. This room is also known to give those
with queasy stomachs motion sickness. :)

[BLOCK 4-4 - Clockwork Mansion VI - Endless Tower]
[TRACK - CLOCKWORK MANSION (PART 2)]
[ENEMIES - Crushing Spikes, Bone Tower, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 17, Large Heart x 7, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$700 x 3, Drumstick x 1, Dagger x 1, Axe x 1, Boomerang x 1]

In this area, the level repeats up and down. Also, throughout the
entire level, platforms are moving up. You can get crushed by these
platforms if you're not careful. From your starting point, take
the higher route, waiting for an open path to get through the passage.
You will now be officially in the endless tower. Basically your goal is
to get to the the room (with the crushing spikes) directly across from
the room you started in. Once there, go past the spikes. At the end,
there will be a super fast platform. Just push against it, and when
you can get on it, keep walking. Be sure not to jump, as there are
spikes overhead. You'll make it out just in time before you get crushed.
Now work your way up and to the right to the boss.

[BOSS - KORONOT]
[TRACK - BOSS 1]

Once again, the bosses name spelled backwards, describes him. This time,
it's "Ton O Rok". Using rocks and bricks is this bosses specialty. He
starts off really big, and every time you hit him, he gets smaller and
a bit faster. His attacks are shooting a brick at you, and jumping, and
upon landing, causing bricks to fall from the ceiling. You cannot,
however, attack the bricks. They're easy to avoid anyways. Just keep
hitting him and he's dead.

**This whole boss is a Mode 7 graphic effect. Nice.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 5]
[TRACK - MAP A]

This level is a "bridging" level connecting the exterior of the castle
to the interior. No bosses, but an excellent stage nonetheless. From
the marshland of the Castle Grounds, to the ominous stairs leading to
the castle, the sense of urgency and fear lurks you.

[BLOCK 5-1 - Castle Grounds]
[TRACK - IN THE CASTLE]
[ENEMIES - Gremlin, The Claw, Bone Pillar, Harpie, Rabid Toad]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 15, Large Heart x 3 , $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$700 x 1, Dagger x 1, Boomerang x 1, Crucifix x 1]

Go right from the starting point, killing the Harpies before they
can drop any Rabid Toads on you. Go as far right as you can go (not in
the chasm ;) ) and then go back left along the top route. When you reach
the end of that path, take the yet higher route to the right again. Keep
working right until you reach the end of the area.

**This area is awesome. The Castle Grounds have rustling grasses,
glowing torches, the plants in the foreground, and more visual treats.
There are even extra graphics in the chasm at the far right. Too bad
you can't venture that way.

**Don't know why, but this is one of the only Castlevania games that
don't have the famous Flea Men, that are usually dropped by harpies.
In the earlier games, they were replaced with a Rabid Toad/Rabbit
hybrid in the North American versions. However, in Castlevania 4,
even the Japanese version replaced them.

[BLOCK 5-2 - Outside the Castle Entrance]
[TRACK - PROLOGUE]
[ENEMIES - Whip Skeleton, Skeletal Knight, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 1, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$500 x 2, $700 x 1, Drumstick x 1]

Here you meet the whip skeletons. They're fast, and when they get close
enough they'll whip you. Take care of it from a distance. This area is
simple. Just work your way right and go through the door to Castlevania
to finish the level.

**At the beginning of this area, the dead, rustling vines are a nice
touch. Also, paying homage to Castlevania 3, there are statues of
Sypha at the end of this area, right before the door to Castlevania.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 6]
[TRACK - MAP B]

One of my 3 favorite stages. The first part of the stage takes you
through a hauntingly familiar Entrance Hall, which appears in some
form or another in every Castlevania game. The remainder of the level
is a blast. From swinging chandeliers, to snapping coffins, to ghosts,
and to devious traps, this level has it all. The dancing duo Paula
Abgoul and Fred Askare, the boss of this excellent stage, await you
at the end of the Great Hall.

**Note: From this point on, some enemies, such as skeletons take
more hits to kill.

[BLOCK 6-1-1 - Entrance Hall]
[TRACK - ENTRANCE HALL]
[ENEMIES - Cruela, Bat, Zombie Dog, Axe Armor]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 13, Large Heart x 1, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$500 x 2, $700 x 2, Holy Water x 1]

You meet a new enemy right off the bat, the Zombie Dog. What's unique
about it is that it doesn't die. One hit and it goes down. However,
if you don't pass it by fast enough, it gets back up. Anyways, work
right, defeating any Cruelas that come your way. Go up and over the
wall, and keep working right. You'll meet another new enemy, the Axe
Armor. He'll throw some Boomerang Axes high or low. Just keep hitting
him while ducking to beat him. Keep working right and then up to get to
the next area.

**The statues in the background are nude in the Japanese version. In
the North American version, they wear robes.

[BLOCK 6-1-2 - Chandeliers]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Large Heart x 1, $100 x 1, $500 x 1]

Simple but cool area. The swinging chandeliers are actually platforms.
The trick to getting across them is to jump straight up when it's
swinging right. You'll land on the next platform on the chandelier.
Work your way left, using the chandeliers and the achors, and this area
is done.

**More Mode 7 graphics. The giant chandeliers still look amazing.

[BLOCK 6-2-1 - Great Hall Entrance I]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - Axe Armor, Falling Chandelier, Phantasm, Female Ghost,
Male Ghost, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 14, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 1, $300 x 3,
$500 x 1, $700 x 1, Drumstick x 1, Pot Roast x 1, Axe x 1]

Go left, watching out for the Falling Chandeliers from above. After 2
chandeliers, you will see a thick floor. Right after the thick floor,
whip the narrow floor. A stairway will open up. This will lead to
Secret Block 1 (see below). Keep working left, taking care of the
Axe Armor, and avoiding more Falling Chandeliers. You will then
come to some Female Ghosts, then some Phantasms (orbs of light that
bounce off the edges of the screen), and finally a Male Ghost. You
will then come to a platform on top of a column. Get over the platform,
and in the left side of the column, there's a secret Pot Roast (or
Double Shot). Now, work your way left along the bottom path, then up,
then back right along the top path. At the end of the top path, there
are some trap-floor platforms, but with a twist. There's spikes on the
underside of them. So if you jump on them a second time, you'll die.
Jump across the platforms and go up the stairs to the next area.

[SECRET BLOCK 1 - A Old Man and his Dog]
[TRACK - SECRET ROOM]
[ENEMIES - Ghost Dog, Old Man Ghost]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 1, $300 x 2,
$500 x 1, $700 x 1, Pot Roast x 1, Dagger x 1, Axe x 1, Holy Water x 1,
Boomerang x 1]

Welcome to the first secret block. There are 2 enemies here. The Old Man
Ghost can't hurt you, but the Ghost Dog can. The dog just bounces
around the screen. The dog dies with one hit. Then the Old Man will cry
at the remains and disappear. This area consists of every sub-weapon
(except for the Stop-Watch). The exit is the way you came in.

[BLOCK 6-2-2 - Great Hall Entrance II]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - Skeleton, Snapper Casket, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 11, $100 x 1, $300 x 2, $500 x 1, Drumstick x 1]

Go up the stairs, then right, using the blocks to jump across the spikes.
The next set of spikes has crumbling blocks, so don't hesitate. You will
then take on a Snapper Casket. It just sits there until you pass it, then
the Snapper Casket will come after you. Just attack it right away, and
you'll be fine. Keep heading right to finish this area.

[BLOCK 6-3-1 - Pillared Corridor]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - Whip Skeleton, Blood Skeleton, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, $100 x 1, $500 x 1, $700 x 1]

Nothing tough here. This area is a hallway with a whole bunch of
Skeletons, Whip Skeletons, and Blood Skeletons. Blood Skeletons come
back to life after you defeat them. Just work your way right and then
up to the next area.

[BLOCK 6-3-2 - Great Hall I]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - Grabbing Hand Trap, Skeletal Knight, Blood Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, Large Heart x 2, $300 x 1, $500 x 1, $700 x 1,
Pot Roast x 1]

Kill the Skeletal Knight and proceed up the stairs. A Pot Roast hides in
the far right wall. In this area there are some Grabbing Hand Traps.
Simply jump over or shimmy under the Grabbing Hands to avoid the traps.
Work your way left, kill the Blood Skeletons at the end, and head up
to the next area.

[BLOCK 6-3-3 - Great Hall II]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - Rotating Casket, Banquet Table, Dancing Ghosts]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 4, $500 x 2,
Crucifix x 1, 1-UP x 1]

You will see a whole bunch of Rotating Caskets. Just whip them and kill
them before continuing. Simple area ahead. Work right, killing the
Banquet Tables from a distance, and taking care of the Dancing Ghosts
(they bounce off the edges of the screen). At the far right, there is a
1-UP hidden in the wall. Go up the stairs to the final area.

[BLOCK 6-3-4 - Great Hall III]
[TRACK - CHANDELIERS]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 2, Drumstick x 1]

Go right to meet the boss.

[BOSS - DANCING GHOSTS - FRED ASKARE & PAULA ABGOUL]
[TRACK - BOSS 2]

Probably the worst name ever for a Castlevania boss. Nonetheless, this
boss is very cool. The dancing duo will move around the screen in a
figure 8 pattern, trying to hit you. They have 2 offensive attacks.
The first is firing 3 foils at you. The second attack is they rush at
you with a foil. Nothing much to this boss but keep attacking. Chances
are you'll outlast them.

**When you get to the boss, the background starts scrolling fast. Add
that with the boss fading in and out, and it feels like your game is
haunted!

[MAP - INTO STAGE 7]
[TRACK - MAP B]

This level consists of a Grand Library to an Art Gallery. While the
first part of this stage has a lighter feeling, the final half has a
dark, forboding feeling, with the darker colors and the haunted
paintings. The boss of this stage is Sir Grakul, a haunted suit of
armor.

[BLOCK 7-1-1 - The Grand Library I]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Ghost, Axe Armor, Spear Guard]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 15, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 1, $300 x 2,
$500 x 2, $700 x 1, Boomerang x 1]

Kill the Spear Guard and the Axe Armor and go up the stairs, then down
over the wall. Work your way right, watching out for the Ghosts and
Axe Armors along the way. Nothing special. At the end, take the stairs
down to the next area.

**The statues have glowing eyes. Also, the books on the shelves are
moving.

[BLOCK 7-1-2 - The Grand Library II]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Winged Guard, Flying Book]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 1, $300 x 1, $500 x 2,
$700 x 1, Drumstick x 1, Dagger x 1, Axe x 1]

If there's any areas I hate in this game, it would be the ones
where you work down. This one is the worst. There are 2 new enemies
in this area, Flying Books and Winged Guards. The Winged Guards are
very similar to the Medusa Heads, except they change the degrees they
go up and down. The Flying Books stay dormant, and when you least
expect it, they strike. Your best bet to get past this area without
getting hit is to drop down and catch stairs before you fall to your
death. This requires, however, for you to know where you can and cannot
land. Just work your way down to finish this area.

[BLOCK 7-1-3 - The Grand Library III]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Axe Armor, Blood Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 9, Large Heart x 3, Axe x 1]

As you work your way off the platform you're on, take special care not
to get hit by the strategically placed Axe Armors. This area requires
you to do some jumping from moving platform to moving platform. Watch
the platforms and their patterns before you make a jump. The only
places you can take breaks from the platforms are populated by Blood
Skeletons, so there's no time to lose. Just work your way right across
the platforms to exit the area.

**The moving platforms are books. Very cool.

[BLOCK 7-2-1 - The Art Gallery I]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Haunted Painting, Bat, Axe Armor, Phantom Dog,
Rug Demon, Crumbling Statue]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$500 x 1, $700 x 1, Pot Roast x 1, Crucifix x 1]

The first thing you come across is a moving painting. This is a new form
of the Grabbing Hand, the Haunted Painting. Just whip the bottom left
corner (where it grabs you) to kill it. Then there's a slew of Bats.
Below a platform, sits a statue. Take caution, the statue will crumble,
and the ball will fall to the ground. The ball can hurt you. Before you
take the stairs up, whip up through the floor and kill the Phantom Dog
as soon as possible. A Phantom Dog jumps out of a painting an jumps
at the candles, dislodging them from the background. Also, before you
go up, the wall in front of you holds a Pot Roast. As you take the stairs
down off of the platform, you'll notice some deadly spikes on the roof.
As you walk below them, a Rug Demon will come up and move under you,
in an attempt to push you into the spikes. Just duck and you're safe.
After the spikes, another Haunted Painting and Bats await you. Use the
Crucifix to take out the Axe Armor, and take the stairs up to the next
area.

[BLOCK 7-2-2 - The Art Gallery II]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Club Zombie, Phantom Dog, Millipede]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 4, Large Heart x 1, $100 x 1, Drumstick x 1,
Pot Roast x 1]

As you come up the stairs, kill the Club Zombie, and kill the Phantom
Dog from underneath. Also, another Pot Roast is in the wall. Make your
way up to the top path, and work your way right. Below is a Millipede,
below some trap-floors. There are a few Crumbling Statues below as well.
If you stick to the top path, you'll be fine. At the end, take the
stairs down to the next area.

[BLOCK 7-2-3 - The Art Gallery III]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Haunted Painting, Rug Demon, Crumbling Statue]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, $100 x 1, $300 x 3, $500 x 1, $700 x 3]

Simple area. Take the stairs down, kill the Haunted Painting, watch out
for the Rug Demon and the Crumbling Statues, and take the stairs up to
the last area.

[BLOCK 7-2-4 - The Art Gallery IV]
[TRACK - PILLARED CORRIDOR, GREAT HALL]
[ENEMIES - Haunted Painting, Bat, Axe Armor, Club Zombie]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 4, Drumstick x 1]

Get rid of the Axe Armor before you completely climb the stairs.
Also, watch out for the swarm of bats that will come at you. The
boss is all the way to the right.

[BOSS - SIR GRAKUL]
[TRACK - BOSS 2]

The enchanted armor, Sir Grakul, has 2 forms. The first, he uses huge
battleaxe. He has a few attacks with the axe. He can throw it right at
you (it acts like a boomerang), and he can also hit the ground, causing
2 flames to follow the ground, one ahead of him and one behind him.
Just keep hitting him, jumping over the flames, and avoiding the axe.

In his second form, his axe shatters, and he draws his sword. He'll
just swing at you. Just avoid his swings and keep whipping and he'll
be dead before you know it.

**Sir Grakul breaks out of a glass case to fight you. Also, after his
defeat, the floor drops out from below you, depositing you to the next
stage.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 8]
[TRACK - MAP B]

Prepare to swear on this stage. A lot. The first time through, impatience
is your worst enemy. One wrong move, and you're dead. There are spikes
everywhere, ready to kill you in one hit. Whether this stage feel like a
torture chamber, or a tomb, depends on whether you're playing the censored
version of this game or not. At the end of this treaturous level awaits
Frankentein's Monster.

[BLOCK 8-1-1 - The Torture Chambers I]
[TRACK - CELLAR]
[ENEMIES - Crushing Spikes, Evil Eye, Bone Pillar, Spider, Thornweed,
Spiked Pendulum, Axe Armor]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 13, Large Heart x 2, $100 x 2, $300 x 1,
$500 x 2, $700 x 1, Drumstick x 1, Axe x 1]

Welcome to the Torture Chambers. There are deadly spikes everywhere. The
pools here can hurt you. Also, the drops that drip from the ceiling can
hurt you. Once you drop in, kill the Spider, get past the Crushing Spikes,
kill another Spider, and jump the gap. Watch out for the Thornweed across
the pool, kill the Bone Pillar, kill the Evil Eye from below, and take the
stairs up. Kill another Bone Pillar, and take the stairs down (a pool will
be below). Ahead is a Spiked Pendulum. Just walk below it, and kill the
Axe Armor. Now, here's where it gets tricky. There will be some Crushing
Spikes in front of you, a low path, and a high path. The low path takes
you to a dead end. Using the Crushing Spikes as a platform, take the high
path. On this path you'll enconter some Evil Eyes, some Crushing Spikes
with spikes on the top and the bottom, and a Bone Pillar. Jump across the
pool (watching out for the drips), kill the Evil Eye, and jump to the next
platform. Take out the Bone Pillar on the next platform, and use the
Crushing Spikes as a platform to get across the gap. Jump onto another
platform, take the stairs up, kill the Bone Pillars, and take the stairs
to the next area.

**If you're playing the North American version, the blood pools
and waterfalls are now green slime. Kinda changes the mood of the level
to being a tomb instead of a torture chamber. I don't know if I prefer
blood or slime...

[BLOCK 8-1-2 - The Torture Chambers II]
[TRACK - CELLAR]
[ENEMIES - Crushing Spikes, Spiked Pendulum, Evil Eye, Bone Dragon,
Falling Spear, Bat]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 18, Large Heart x 4, $100 x 1, $300 x 1,
$500 x 4, $700 x 1, Pot Roast x 1, Dagger x 1, Boomerang x 1,
Stop Watch x 1, Crucifix x 1]

More spikes. Jump up to the platform, shimmy under the Spiked Pendulum,
jump on top of the Crushing Spikes, and onto the next Pendulum. Take care
getting past the Crushing Spikes, and take out the Evil Eye, and drop
down. Keep walking, and don't stop. Some Falling Spears will fall,
just hitting the ground behind you. After the Falling Spears, kill the
Bone Dragon, then use the Crucifix to kill another. The second Bone
Dragon will drop 8 hearts. Jump down off the platforms, kill the Bone
Pillar, and break the wall behind it to get a Pot Roast. Take the stairs
up to the top path. Ahead is a collapsing bridge. You must get across
it, or fall to the pool below. To make it tougher, bats will attack you.
The best way to get across here is practice. Boomerangs help take out
the bats. After the collapsing bridge, go right to the next area.

[BLOCK 8-2-1 - The Cellar I]
[TRACK - CELLAR]
[ENEMIES - Crushing Spikes, Medusa Head, Thornweed, Hanging Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 9, Large Heart x 2, $300 x 4, Drumstick x 1,
Dagger x 1]

Just because you're out of the Torture Chamber doesn't mean you're away
from spikes. The slower Crushing Spikes is in this area. Also, you have
to avoid Medusa Heads all the way through. Dropping through this area is
trickier with spikes everywhere. Also, parts of the stairs can be
destroyed. The thing is, when they're destroyed, the fragments can hurt
you, so be careful where you whip. If you see a hole in the background,
chances are a Hanging Skeleton will pop out. Basically, nothing can
really be said about this area than to just carefully work your way
down. On the left side there's a Drumstick, if you dare to jump over the
Crushing Spikes to get to it. The exit to this area is striaght down some
stairs.

**The ghosts rattling their chains in the background is very cool. Adds
to the overall atmosphere of the level.

[BLOCK 8-2-2 - The Cellar II]
[TRACK - CELLAR]
[ENEMIES - Crushing Spikes, Spiked Pendulum, Hanging Skeleton, Falling Spear,
Jabbing Spike, Evil Eye]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 16, Large Heart x 3, $100 x 2, $300 x 3,
$500 x 1, $700 x 2, Drumstick x 1, Dagger x 1, Boomerang x 1, Potion x 1]

Almost done. Take the stairs down, and carefully get past the Crushing
Spikes. Before you take the top route, take the Potion to help get you
past the Spiked Pendulum. Just jump on top of the Spiked Pendulum to get
past it. Walk past the Falling Spears, and kill the Evil Eye. Then drop
down under the Crushing Spikes when it's at the top. Get past the
Crushing Spikes. Ahead is a new obstacle, Jabbing Spikes. These will jab
out of the ceiling in a random pattern, and can kill you instantly. The
best way past these is just to duck and shimmy until you get past them.
Afrer those, is another new obstacle, a disappearing bridge. On top of
that, Falling Spears will rain down from above you. There's really no
pattern to the disappearing bricks, but when a brick does appear, it's
there for about a second. Basically, wait until you see a few bricks
solidify, and jump across the center part of the bridge. After the
bridge is the boss.

[BOSS - FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER]
[TRACK - BOSS 2]

Frankenstein's Monster has 3 attacks. He will throw a potion, which will
do 1 of 3 things. The first is a pink potion, which will cause flames to
cover the ground. The second is a white potion, which will make a second
monster, which dies is a few hits. The third is a green potion, which will
shatter in mid-air and spew forth 5 green fireballs straight down. The
strategy here is to stay on one of the platforms on the side and attack
him. He'll be dead before long.

[MAP - INTO STAGE 9]
[TRACK - MAP B]

The Treasury is a very cool stage. Depending on how well you can swing
on those anchors, you can pick up a lot of cool stuff. This level has
points galore. Plus, the Geysers in this stage adds a whole new element
to the game. The boss of this stage is the bat made of coins, Zapf Bat.

[BLOCK 9-1-1 - The Treasury I]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Gold Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 3, Large Heart x 4, $100 x 2, $300 x 1,
$500 x 2, $700 x 1]

Jump down the platforms, kill the Bats, and go across the treasure
chests. If you're low on health, jump on any treasure chest in this
stage 50 times to get a small Drumstick. Work your way to the right,
killing all Bats and Gold Skeletons that get in your way. Take the stairs
down to the next area.

**The ghosts are still an effect I still love. Transparencies at their
best. No matter how many ghosts are on the screen, the game never slows
down.

**This whole stage is a graphical treat. The sparkling curtains, the
statues, the parapets, the twinkling coins, and even the chests spewing
out coins when you jump off of them. A work of art for sure.

**Throughout the first part of the stage, some sections of the floor
will break beneath your feet. This does nothing, however, except making
a shallow pit in the floor.

[BLOCK 9-1-2 - The Treasury II]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Gold Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 9, Large Heart x 1, $500 x 2, $700 x 2,
Boomerang x 1]

After descending the stairs, you'll notice some Gold Skeletons below you.
Also, at the end of the platform you're on, you'll see a cluster of coins.
These are the crumbling floors on this stage. They'll crumble just as
fast as you walk across them. Jump over the Gold Skeletons and take them
out. Then jump to the left. Right away you'll see some crumbling platforms
taking you to a higher platform. There are plenty of enemies to knock you
off those platforms, so take the lower route and take care of all of the
enemies before taking the high route. On the high route is a Boomerang.
After that, take the stairs up to the next platform, then down more stairs
to the next area.

[BLOCK 9-1-3 - The Treasury III]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Bat, Gold Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 12, Large Heart x 7, $100 x 2, $300 x 1,
$500 x 2, $700 x 4, Drumstick x 1, Axe x 1, Crucifix x 1]

Go down the stairs, and move right, jumping across the crumbling
platforms. Kill the 2 Gold Skeletons right after. The next section has
two ways of going through it. The first is taking the lower path, the
second is swinging on the anchors above the dangers below. To catch the
first anchor, jump and whip diagonally. It takes practice to get across
the anchors quickly. If you swing across, you'll score some Hearts,
a Drumstick, and a Crucifix. Drop down, and continue right, going across
more crumbling platforms. Be careful of the Gold Skeleton and Bat
strategically placed to knock you into the chasm. Keep working right to
get to the next area.

[BLOCK 9-2-1 - The Treasury IV]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Snapper Casket, Geyser, Bone Dragon]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, Large Heart x 2, $500 x 1, $700 x 1,
Drumstick x 1, Boomerang x 1, Stop Watch x 1]

The second block of the Treasury has a new obstacle, Geysers. These are
like Grabbing Hands, only when they're activated, they suck you in,
holding you temporarily. Kill the Bone Dragon from behind. Again, you
can swing with the anchors to avoid the dangers below. If you take the
anchors, you can pick up a Stop Watch and a Boomerang at the end. If
you fall down, there are Geysers and Snapper Caskets. These two together
can be very annoying. Go right, kill the Bone Dragon, pick up the
Drumstick, and take the stairs down to the next area.

[BLOCK 9-2-2 - The Treasury V]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Snapper Casket, Bone Dragon]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 10, $100 x 1, $300 x 1, $500 x 1, $700 x 2]

Once again, kill the Bone Dragon from behind. Ahead is a pool of coins.
Much like the other pools in this game, if you sink too far you can die.
Using the chest as a platform, whip the anchors above to get over the
wall at the edge of the pool. After the wall, you will see a platform
with some candles and a Snapper Casket. The candles are just Small Hearts,
so just skip them. Battling the Snapper Casket isn't worth it. Take the
stairs down to the next area.

[BLOCK 9-2-3 - The Treasury VI]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Snapper Casket, Geyser, Bone Dragon, Bone Tower]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, $100 x 1, $500 x 2, $700 x 1]

As you come down the stairs you will see a pit of spikes with blocks
dropping, making platforms. The falling bricks can hurt you, so take care
jumping across the platforms. Kill the Bone Tower right after the spikes.
Above is a Geyser, and to the right of that is a platform with another
Geyser and a Snapper Casket. Let the Geyser past the Snapper Casket suck
you in to bet taken to the second Secret Block, which is detailed below.
Kill the Bone Dragon ahead, go up the platforms, and take the stairs up
to finish this area.

**You will notice some extra stuff in the background of this area. There
is mining eqipment, and an unearthed gold statue. Cool.

[SECRET BLOCK 2 - Geyser Vault]
[TRACK - SECRET ROOM]
[ENEMIES - Geysers]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Large Heart x 4, $500 x 2, $700 x 1,
Pot Roast x 1, Dagger x 1, Axe x 1, Holy Water x 1, Boomerang x 1]

You've made it to the second Secret Block. Much like the first one,
it has all of the weapons (except for the Stop Watch), which are
located on the lower path. Any of the Geyesers in this block will
cause you to exit, so be careful.

[BLOCK 9-2-4 - The Treasury VII]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Gold Skeleton, Bone Dragon]
[ITEMS - $100 x 9, $300 x 9, $500 x 20, $700 x 18, Drumstick x 1]

You'll get tons of points in this area, and most likely a free life.
Not only do Bone Dragons drop money in this area. Most of the Gold
Skeletons do as well. Swing across the gap, go up, killing the Gold
Skeletons. Take the left path. There's more candles that way, and
you'll stand a better chance against the Bone Dragon, which will
cough up 8 $700 Money Bags. Continue up, swing across the gap, go
up the stairs. Kill another Bone Dragon for 8 $500 Money Bags, and
head up the stairs. Swing the gap, and head up to the final area of
this stage.

[BLOCK 9-2-5 - The Treasury VIII]
[TRACK - THE TREASURY]
[ENEMIES - Gold Skeleton, Gold Whip Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 3, Large Heart x 2, Drumstick x 1]

Work your way up and to the right, taking care of the skeletons on the
way. To the right is the boss of this stage.

[BOSS - ZAPF BAT]
[TRACK - BOSS 2]

The Zapf Bat is a bat made of coins. He'll fly around the screen,
rushing at you every once in a while. Just whip straight up. Be careful
of the fragments that come off of him when you hit him, they can hurt
you. When he stops for a second, he'll be ready to rush. Just move away
from him. After you knock him down 9 life units, He'll break into 3
smaller bats. These bats drop coins on you, which can hurt you. Just
keep hitting the bats and they're dead.

**As the boss appears, the coin pile at the middle of the screen make
the Zapf Bat. Also, when you beat him, a stairway appears.

[MAP - INTO STAGE A]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS (SLOW VERSION)]

Another one of my favorites, the clock tower is one kick-ass stage.
Maybe it's because of the music, the design layout, or something else.
The clocktower can be annoying if you hate jumping though. The end
of this stage concludes on the clock itself, where you face the mummy,
Akmodan II.

[BLOCK A-1-1 - The Clock Tower I]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5]

No enemies in this area. The gear platforms react as a rotating circular
platform would. You'll move one way, then the other, in a circular motion.
Just go right, and then up to the next area.

[BLOCK A-1-2 - The Clock Tower II]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS]
[ENEMIES - Bone Pillar, Skeletal Knight]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 8, Large Heart x 3, Dagger x 1]

Kill the Bone Pillar, take the gear right, then go up the stairs, then
left and up the crumbling bricks. Go up the stairs, kill the Skeletal
Knight from below, and use the gear to get to the platform the Skeletal
Knight was on. Take the stairs up, and use the gears to get to the anchor.
Use the anchor to get to the crumbling bricks. Jump up to the next
platform, kill the Skeletal Knight, take the stairs up, jump on the gear
platform, and take the stairs up to the next area.

[BLOCK A-1-3 - The Clock Tower III]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS]
[ENEMIES - Medusa Head, Skeletal Knight, Skeleton, Whip Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Large Heart x 1, $100 x 1, Dagger x 1]

Watch out for the Medusa Heads as you climb the stairs. Kill the Skeleton
and the Whip Skeleton, jump up to the platform, and go right. Watch out
for more Medusa Heads as you make it to the large gear. There are spikes
above the gear, so you must duck. When you're past the spikes, quickly
jump the gap, and take the stairs up. Use one of the anchors on the
conveyor to get across the gap. Kill the Skeletal Knight and climb the
stairs to the next area.

[BLOCK A-1-4 - The Clock Tower IV]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS]
[ENEMIES - Medusa Head, Bone Dragon, Axe Armor, Loose Gear]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 15, Large Heart x 4, $100 x 1, $500 x 1,
Drumstick x 1, Holy Water x 1, Boomerang x 1, Stop Watch x 1,
Crucifix x 1]

Kill the Axe Armors from below before heading up. As you climb the stairs,
a Loose Gear will dislodge itself. When it does, immediately climb back
down the stairs. When it's safe, take the stairs up, and jump up to the
next platform. Another Loose Gear will bounce down. Just jump to the next
platform to avoid it. Take the gear to the platform, jump up, and use the
anchor to get across the gap. Kill the Axe Armor, kill the Bone Dragon, and
attach to an anchor to go up. Swing right to the platform below the Axe
Armor and kill it. Continue up on an anchor. At the top, kill another Axe
Armor, and jump up the crumbling bricks. Kill yet another Axe Armor, and
take the stairs up. Attach to another anchor, and swing to the platform
below the Bone Dragon. The candle holds a Crucifix. Attach to an anchor,
and at the top of the tower, go right to exit this area.

[BLOCK A-2 - The Top of The Clock Tower]
[TRACK - BLOODY TEARS]
[ENEMIES - Skeletal Knight, Blood Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Drumstick x 1]

Just go right to meet the boss.

[BOSS - AKMODAN II]
[TRACK - BOSS 2]

The mummy, Akmodan II, teleports around the screen, attacks, teleports,
etc. He'll fire either mummy wrappings or fireballs, both of which are
very easy to avoid. If he teleports to the center of the clock or on
the end of the left hand, stay on the lower platform, and whip up at
him. If he teleports to the lower platform, duck and use a limp whip to
attack him. Lastly, if he teleports to the edge of the right hand,
just stand on the left hand attacking. He'll be dead before long.

**After you defeat Akmodan II, a path will appear for you.

[MAP - INTO STAGE B]
[TRACK - VAMPIRE KILLER (SLOW VERSION)]

Welcome to the final stage. This stage is like 4 stages in one. The
first, is crossing the moat on a crumbling bridge. The second, is
working your way up a huge tower, with a spiked gear on your heels.
The third, is The Room of Close Associates, which is 3 bosses in a
row: Slogra, Gaibon, and Death. The last part of this stage is
Dracula's Lair, where you will fight Dracula, the last boss of the
entire game.

[BLOCK B-1-1 - The Moat of Castlevania]
[TRACK - VAMPIRE KILLER]
[ENEMIES - Duhron]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 8]

The new enemy here is Duhron. These headless swordsmen will jab at you.
You can duck under the attack. Work your way down, minding the crumbling
bricks. Just go straight down to the next area.

[BLOCK B-1-2 - The Crumbling Bridge]
[TRACK - VAMPIRE KILLER]
[ENEMIES - Bats]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 23]

Go down, then as you work right, you will come to a bridge. The deal
here is the second you start walking on the bridge, it will crumble
to dust beneath you. That would normally be no problem, but as the
bridge crumbles, bats underneath the bridge will be awakened and will
start following you. If you stop even for a second, the bats will
hit you. Don't worry about the candles, they're all small hearts.
Just keep moving, and at the end of the bridge will be the entrance
to the Gear Tower.

**The bridge is a great effect. Just having the bridge crumble just
to reveal persuing bats gives a greater sense of urgency.

[BLOCK B-2 - The Gear Tower]
[TRACK - BEGINNING]
[ENEMIES - Spiked Gear, Duhron, Rock Zombie, Skeleton]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 21, Large Heart x 6, $100 x 1, $300 x 3,
$500 x 1, $700 x 1, Drumstick x 2, Axe x 1, Boomerang x 1]

Another annoying room. The thing about this room is that a spiked gear
will follow you for the first half of this area. One hit, you're dead.
If you fall, you're dead. Add that to the fact that the stairs will
crumble below you and it'll take you hours the first time through.
Just like the crumbling bridge, don't worry about the candles. The
only thing that will stop the gear from advancing is if you're on
stairs, or hanging from an anchor. Duhron and Rock Zombies populate
this area. In this room it is very important to hold up/left or
up/right whenever you're in the air. This way you always catch stairs
instead of falling through them.

From the beginning, take the right path. Kill the Duhron, and go up once
again. Keep working up, the candles are just to distract you on the
stairs. You have no time to pick anything up, unless you're passing by a
candle. The take care of the rock zombie, and work your way up again,
and up. When you reach the anchor, swing up to the platform above. The
gear won't follow you anymore.

Now for the second half. This part has a whole bunch of diagonally moving
platforms, and spikes that you can hit if you're not careful. Hop on the
platform that appears as close to the left as possible, and keep jumping
on the platforms to the left of the one you're on. You'll come to another
ledge. Go up the stairs and take the platforms up. The moving platforms
will start again. Use the same tactic as before to get to the next
platform. Climb the stairs, killing Duhron and Skeletons on the way. The
moving platforms will start again. It's trickier this time, since you
can't start on a far left platform. Just time your jump so that you
catch the platform closest to you. Jump left to the next one, drop to the
next, drop, jump, then jump right to the final platform. You should make
it without being crushed. Head right through the doorway to the next area.

**Throughout the Gear Tower, there's transparent misty clouds. Gives you
the feeling of being high up.

[BLOCK B-3-1 - The Room of Close Associates I]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, Drumstick x 2]

Just go right, and you'll meet Slogra. After the defeat of Slogra, go
right and up.

[BOSS - SLOGRA]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]

By far, the most annoyingly hard boss of the game. This boss has style,
though. Slogra is a skeleton, dinosaur thingy. You can only defeat him
one way, and a very repetitive way. You duck, whip him, hit him, move
to the opposite side of the screen, duck, whip, hit, move, duck, hit,
move. It may help to jump on top of the small columns when hitting him
to better avoid his attacks. He's invulnrable for a few seconds after
you hit him. Practice makes perfect.

He has 2 phases. Though the strategy doesn't change, his attacks do.
The first he uses his spear. He either jabs at you, or fires a fireball.
The second, he loses his spear, and rushes at you, pointy nose first.
At this point, it's easier to avoid him on top of the colums.

Sooner or later, you'll defeat him.

[BLOCK B-3-2 - The Room of Close Associates II]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 2, Drumstick x 1]

Work your way left to Gaibon. After Gaibon, go left and up to the next
area.

[BOSS - GAIBON]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]

Gaibon is a flying gargoyle. He'll start off being blue. In this phase,
his attacks include flying into you, a stomp that will drop spikes on
you, and an aerial fireball attack. Just keep whipping him and
avoiding his attacks. When he's down to half energy, he'll turn red.
This phase is the easiest. He has only one attack. He'll fly around
like usual, and spit 5 speading aerial fireballs. Just keep hitting
him and he's dead.

[BLOCK B-3-3 - The Room of Close Associates III]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 6, Drumstick x 1]

Go right, and meet Death. After Death, head back left, on the new
path to Dracula's Lair.

**After you beat Death, and start your trek to Dracula's Lair, the
torches light up as you pass them. It appears you are expected...

[BOSS - DEATH]
[TRACK - THE ROOM OF CLOSE ASSOCIATES]

By far the coolest boss. Death has the more atmosphere about him than
any boss in the game. He follows an easy pattern. He'll fly around,
first going left, hovering for a while, and going right. While he's
flying, he'll fire scythes at you. When he reaches the far right,
he'll do one of two things. The first is a dive attack, where he'll
swipe at you with is scythe. Then he'll repeat the flying pattern.
The second attack is where he lands on the ground, sucks you in,
and throws his scythe twice, which acts like a boomerang. Sub-Weapons
are useless during this attack. The first throw will start high, then
come back at him along the ground. The second throw will start high,
and return to him high, as he starts flying again.

Here's the best strategy. While he's flying, stay behind the platform
on the left. Whip straight up to hit him and any scythes he throws at
you. When he starts to move right, whip up-right to kill the scythe he
throws. None of the others come close enough to hit you. If he does
his swoop attack, whip up-right again to take care of the scythe.
When he lands, jump over the platform, and whip at death twice, then
start retreating. While retreating, jump the scythe returning from
the first throw. Then try hitting him a few more times before he starts
flying again. Repeat until he's dead.

**After you kill Death, the way to Dracula's Lair is revealed.

[BLOCK B-4-1 - Dracula's Lair I]
[TRACK - DRACULA BATTLE BGM]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Large Heart x 14, Drumstick x 12, Boomerang x 1,
Double Shot x 1, Triple Shot x 1]

Simple area. The only thing here is a secret. Jump off the stairs.
You'll land on an invisible ledge. Drop down to another. Your health
and hearts will be filled. You'll also get a Boomerang, a Double
Shot, and a Triple Shot. There are some invisible stairs to get back
up to the first invisible platform, where you can jump back up to
the stairs. Take the stairs up to Dracula's Lair.

[BLOCK B-4-1 - Dracula's Lair II]
[TRACK - DRACULA BATTLE BGM]
[ENEMIES - None]
[ITEMS - Small Heart x 5, Drumstick x 1, Boomerang x 1]

Just work your way left to meet Dracula: The final boss of the game!

[BOSS - DRACULA FORM I]
[TRACK - DRACULA BATTLE BGM]

The first form is the tougher one. Just like just about every
Castlevania game, he teleports, shoots some fireballs, teleports,
fires, etc. He tends to try to teleport on top of you, so keep
moving. This time there's a twist. This form has 4 stages until
you fight the final form.

The first, Dracula will fire a purple fireball at you. It reacts
differently depending on how you take it on. If you attempt to jump
over it, it'll split into 3 fireballs, and go straight up, hitting
you. If you attack the fireball, it'll split into 3 or 5 fireballs
and keep on coming. A limp whip will take em out. Duck for a better
chance of not getting hit. This stage lasts for 4 life units.

Next, he'll fire an orb which will float around the screen. Hit the
orb, and it'll spit fireballs, clockwise, and then drop a drumstick.
This stage lasts for 1 life unit.

Next he'll summon 2 flames which will follow you. The best defense is
to not attack them. Jump over them, and they'll eventually overlap
each other. Keep jumping over them (as they're overlapping), and you
won't get hit. If you do kill them, Dracula will summon 2 more. This
stage lasts until Dracula has 6 life units left.

Lastly, he'll fire the orb again, allowing you to fill your life before
the last form. Once again, this lasts 1 life unit.

To attack Dracula, you can use your whip or your Boomerang to hit him
in the head. I prefer the Boomerang, as you can just throw 3 at his
head's level, and they'll hit him when he appears, and all you have to
do is take care of his attacks.

[BOSS - DRACULA FORM II]
[TRACK - THEME OF SIMON]

When Dracula is down to 5 health units, the final form will appear.
Unlike a gargoyle/demon (like in almost every Castlevnia game), he
looks basically the same, except his mask has been removed to reveal
his demonic face. Basically he'll keep teleporting just like before.
His attack appears every few seconds. Basically, you'll see 4
lightning charges. You'll see where they are to appear a split second
before they strike. Keep hitting his head, and he'll be dead in no time.

[DRACULA'S DEATH]
[TRACK - DRACULA'S DEATH]

Congratulations! You have defeated Dracula!

Dawn has come. Dracula gets caught in the sunlight. He turns into a
slew of bats, all of which dies except for one, which mysteriously
vanishes. Pick up the Magic Crystal to finish the game.

[ENDING]
[TRACK - ENDING BGM]

Simon watches from a distant cliff as Castlevania crumbles to the
ground.

[ENDING CREDITS]
[TRACK - ENDING BGM]

MAIN PROGRAMMER
Jun Furano

PLAYER PROGRAMMER
Paipon

ENEMY PROGRAMMER
Great K Nitta
Ete Pow Konoz
Jun Furano
Paipon

MAIN DESIGNER

Nyankun Hara

VRAM DESIGNER
Nyankun Hara
S Kushibuchi

OBJECT DESIGNER
Pechi
S Kushibuchi
Nyankun Hara

SOUND DESIGNER
Masanori Oodachi
Nyankun Hara
Souji Taro

SUPER VOICE
Akkun

TOTAL DIRECTOR
Jun Furano

PRODUCER
Mr Kitaue

SPECIAL THANKS
Konami Kurokotai

PRESENTED BY
Konami

[GAME OVER?]
[TRACK - GAME OVER]

It's never over! Push start when the screen says "Presented by Konami"
to play "The Second Quest", which allows you to play through the game
again, with a higher difficulty. More enemies, and the enemies take
more hits to kill. This is when the game gets fun!

*****************
**10 - BESTIARY**
*****************

**NOTE: These are in the order you'll encounter them. Boss strategies
are in the walkthrough.

BAT - Simple vampire bats. They come at you, either off screen, or from
where they're perched. Dies with 1 hit.

SKELETON - Another common enemy. It'll throw a bone at you at an upward
arc. Dies in 1 hit.

BONE PILLAR - It'll fire high left, and low right. Dies in 4 hits.

CLUB ZOMBIE - Hides behind a wall, waiting for you to get below him,
then he'll strike. You'll see his hand when he's not attacking. Dies in
1 hit.

VIPER SWARM - It'll be on the ceiling. When you get below it, it'll drop
and move at you along the ground. Dies in 1 hit.

MR. HED - A disembodied horse head. It'll be dormant until you get near.
It'll then open it's eyes, and float at you, quite fast. Dies in 1 hit.

MEDUSA HEAD - For beginners, one of the most annoying enemies. It'll
come from off-screen, and keep going until it goes off screen. The
annoying part is the attack pattern. It rises and falls, making it
difficult to hit. With some practice, fighting these become second
nature. Dies in 1 hit.

GHOST - First you'll see a little white dot. When you approach, it'll
expand and come at you. It comes at you at a shallow, zig-zag motion.
Very slow enemy. Dies in 2 hits.

GRABBING HAND - These annoying enemies don't hurt you, they come up
randomly from underground, holding you so that another enemy can hit
you. You can't hit it when it's holding you. However, it does eventually
let go. Dies in 1 hit.

SPIDER - Comes from above, then it'll fire a smaller spider at you
and retreat. Dies in 1 hit.

LEAF MONSTER - Will be slightly camoulflaged amoung the leafy background.
He'll jump out when you get close. Dies in 2 hits.

PORCUPINE - It will crawl along the ground. When you get close, it'll
roll into a ball and very quickly roll at you. Dies in 2 hits.

BLUE RAVEN - It'll perch on something, then come at you when you come
close. Dies in 1 hit.

GROUND ZOMBIE - Will rise from the ground, and come at you. May go back
underground. Dies in 1 hit.

FROG - Annoying little enemy. Will hop along the ground. It'll either
hop a short distance, or a long distance. Dies in 1 hit.

THORNWEED - It'll be a small green dot. When you come close, it'll grow.
Just sits there. Dies in 1 hit.

THE CLAW - Doesn't hurt you, but it'll latch onto you and sap your
hearts. Dies in 1 hit.

GREMLIN - Flies awkwardly, speeding across the screen, then arching down
at the edge of the screen. Dies in 1 hit.

MUDMAN - He starts off big. Every 2 hits, it splits to 2 smaller Mudmen,
then those split to 2 smaller Mudmen. Then it dies. 1 Mudman dies in 2
hits.

FALLING ROCK - It'll noticably shake, so take that as a warning. When
you're close, it'll fall, and fragments of it will split off. The
fragments can hurt you as well. Cannot kill.

ELECTRIC BALL - It'll rotate around a platform, causing you trouble in
jumping. Cannot kill.

MERMAN - It'll either jump up from the water, and then spit water at you,
or just stay in the water, and spit up at you. Dies in 1 hit.

EVIL EYE - It'll hover left and right above you, crying burning tears on
you. After a few passes, it'll dive down at you. Dies in 2 hits.

BONE DRAGON - It'll be attached to a brick or wall. It'll move it's head
and neck up and down, erratically spitting fireballs at you. When it dies
it may drop 8 of a particular item. Dies in 7 hits.

SKELETAL KNIGHT - When you come close, it'll attack you with its sword.
Dies in 2 hits.

WALL ZOMBIE - An unsuspicious wall might hide one of these guys. When
you come close, it comes out at you. It will stay attached to the wall.
Dies in 1 hit.

HANGING SKELETON - It'll come out of the background, grabbing at you.
It'll stay attached to the background. Dies in 2 hits.

CRUSHING SPIKES - These will raise and lower in a particular pattern.
Much like normal spikes, these will kill you in 1 hit. Cannot kill.

HARPIES - They will fly across the screen, drop a Rabid Toad, and fly
off the screen. If you kill it with a Rabid Toad in it's clutches, you'll
kill both. Dies in 1 hit.

RABID TOAD - Dropped by harpies, these will erratically jump at you,
making them tough to avoid and tough to hit. Very annoying. Dies in 1
hit.

WHIP SKELETON - It'll quickly whip you when it comes close. Dies in 2
hits.

CRUELA - These are in endless supply. They come at you along the ground.
Dies in 1 hit.

ZOMBIE DOG - These dogs won't die. When you hit them, they'll fall, but
get back up in a few seconds. Falls in 1 hit.

AXE ARMOR - Throws a Boomerang Axe high or low. Duck and whip to kill.
Dies in 4 hits.

FALLING CHANDELIER - It'll fall from the ceiling. It's fragments can
hurt you as well, until everthing stops bouncing. Cannot kill.

GHOST DOG - Bounces on the edges of the screen. Dies in 1 hit.

OLD MAN GHOST - Just walks along the ground. Cannot hurt you. Cannot kill.

FEMALE GHOST - Attacks in a circular motion. Dies in 1 hit.

PHANTASM - A ball of light that bounces on the edge of the screen. Dies
in 3 hits.

MALE GHOST - Appears, comes at you, disappears, then reappears at a new
location, comes at you, disappears, repeats. Dies in 1 hit.

SNAPPER CASKET - It'll be dormant until you pass it. Then it comes at
you, snapping it's lid. Dies in 2 hits.

BLOOD SKELETON - These skeletons come back to life. They just walk
around and don't attack. They come back to life after a few seconds. 2
hits take them down the first time, 1 hit drops them after that.

GRABBING HAND TRAP - This trap consists of Grabbing Hands and a Skeletal
Knight. The trap will flash until you get caught. When you're caught,
the hands will hold you and the Skeletal Knight will atttack. Jump over
or shimmy under the hands to get past. The Skeletal Knight can't hurt
you unless you get caught. Cannot kill.

ROTATING CASKET - These rotate in a circular motion. Dies in 2 hits.

BANQUET TABLE - These rush at you when you come close. Dies in 2 hits.

DANCING GHOSTS - The bounce off the sides of the screen. Dies in 2 hits.

SPEAR GUARD - These just walk around the ground and don't attack. Dies
in 4 hits.

WINGED GUARD - These attack like the Medusa Heads, but speed up when
after a few weaves. Very annoying. Dies in 2 hits.

FLYING BOOK - These will just hover in close. When you're on the screen,
they'll attack when you least expect it. Even from across the screen.
Dies in 1 hit.

HAUNTED PAINTING - These paintings will noticeably move. When you get
close, it'll grab you to allow other enemies to attack. Attack the
hand to kill. Dies in 1 hit.

CRUMBLING STATUE - When you get near, the statue crumbles, and the ball
from the top bounces on the ground for a few seconds. Touching the ball
will hurt you. Cannot kill.

PHANTOM DOG - These annoying creatures will jump out of a painting and
jump at candles, dislodging them from the background. Dies in 2 hits.

RUG DEMON - Will rise up under the rug when you're under some spikes.
When it gets below you, it'll rise you up to hit the spikes. Just duck
and he'll pass and you won't get high enough to die. Cannot kill.

MILLIPEDE - This will curve around, and then disappear. Dies in 6 hits.

SPIKED PENDULUM - This will swing back and forth. You can use the top
of the pendulum as a platform, but the underside of it will kill you
instantly. Cannot kill.

FALLING SPEAR - These will drop at you from above, lodging themselves
in the ground. Just keep walking and they won't hurt you. Cannot kill.

JABBING SPIKE - These come out of the roof randomly, killing you
instantly. Just duck to get past these. Cannot kill.

GOLD SKELETON - Like your average skeleton, but jumps more. Dies in
2 hits.

GEYSER - If you're close enough it'll suck you in and hold you there,
allowing other enemies to attack. Cannot kill.

GOLD WHIP SKELETON - Just like the normal whip skeleton, but it's gold.
Dies in 2 hits.

LOOSE GEAR - It'll shake in the background until you get close. Then
it'll dislodge itself and bounce toward you. Cannot kill.

DUHRON - These headless skeletons will jab at you with it's foil. Dies
in 2 hits.

SPIKED GEAR - This will come after you, unless you get on some stairs
or hang from an anchor. Cannot kill.

ROCK ZOMBIE - These will crash in from the background. Dies in 3 hits.

***********************
**11 - SPECIAL THANKS**
***********************

-Thanks to Good Richter for the Super Castlevania 4 Treasury and
suggesting the idea of a walkthrough. Additional thanks for letting
me play guinnea pig with his site. It was fun, and I learned a lot
about html from that. Plus, I didn't want to see such a good site
go to waste.

-Thanks to Konami and everyone involved in making the game. You've
accomplished making not only a game, but a work of art. GREAT JOB!

-Thanks to Kurt Kalata for operating the Castlevania Dungeon. If not
for you, the worldwide love wouldn't be as great as it is now. Your
site made me pick up the series again, and added to my Castlevania
obsession. For those of you that don't know what the Dungeon is,
it's located at http://www.classicgaming.com/castlevania/

-Thanks to my parents for getting an annoying kid the game he pestered
them for months. That was the best Christmas morning ever.

-Thanks to everyone in the Castlevania community for keeping me
interested in the series. If it wasn't for the community I wouldn't
know as much about Castlevania 4 or other games in the series.

-NO THANKS to my 2 best friends that HATE Castlevania and HATE Doom.
Idiots. ;)

*******************
**12 - Legal Crap**
*******************

This Walkthrough/FAQ was created and copyrighted by Me. By Me, I mean the
one and only Elbryan42. You can use this for person use, but please don't
distribute this without my permission. If you wish to use it somewhere,
e-mail me at [email protected] for permission. No part of this this
is to be taken and used as your own work. Castlevania and Super Castlevania 4
are copyrighted by Konami.

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