Gradius III/Stage 1

During space flight, you should move into position to collect your first power ups. A wave of five enemies will first approach near the top, and split before reconverging. This is followed by a second wave approaching from the bottom, which stops just at the center of the left screen before turning back right. The third and fourth waves appear at the top then bottom, and are easy to intercept if you decided to use two powerups for Speedup.

After the initial four waves, you will encounter a mix of enemies from the initial waves and individual fighters. There should be at least four more powerups before you enter the base.

Sand Storm (Desert)

 * This first stage takes place in a desert, and, for a first level, is difficult.


 * In this level, there are mountains that can make it hard to reach enemies. If so, try Double shots so you can reach enemies better. Missiles also help.


 * An enemy present in this stage is a sand lion that is found often. The sand lions have little health, but are deadly. They can leap from one side of the terrain to the other, and fire sand balls. Take care while destroying them.


 * Another common foe is a sand dragon that rises from the sand. They attempt to ram the Vic Viper, But like the lions, they have little resistance, so as soon as you see them, fire.


 * Other enemies occupy the land too, such as hatches and cannons. The Duckers make a return from Gradius, and are as annoying as ever. The hatches still release enemies in a frenzy, but are easy to take care of.


 * At times, you will see flying enemies. They rarely appear, but still watch out for the other enemies. Some foes are red and give power ups, but don't get distracted.

Boss: Goliath
The first boss, reminiscent of an antlion, will approach once you reach the end of the base.

It follows a simple attack pattern:
 * It will open and close it's jaws. These jaws will block shots to the core.
 * After a while, it launches five shots in a spread pattern. The only one likely to hit is the one in line with the core.
 * When the shots hit the side, a few enemies will fly from the walls and home in on your craft.
 * The antlion will also move forward and back.

It is vulnerable to shots in the center. When Goliath is about to die, it turns red. Once defeated, the Vic Viper will fly forward to the next stage.