Ghosts 'n Goblins/Stage 3

Part 1

 * When you begin this stage, you will be at the entrance to a large cavern. Lining the ceiling will be a colony of bats that will almost immediately descend upon Arthur. You can trick them into flying higher than usual by jumping up while they are falling. Shoot the rest of the while being on the look out for any zombies that might be trying to sneak up from behind you.
 * The beginning of this stage is similar to the first stage for two reasons: a split path, and magicians. If you shoot any of the short rock formations more than 15 times, a Magician will appear and fire a spell at you that transforms you into a frog. Also, shortly into the stage, you can opt to take a high platform, or remain on the ground. Neither pathway offers any benefits, so take whichever path you are most comfortable with.


 * Along either path, you will have to deal with Monster Towers. They start out looking like ordinary stone columns, but they begin to flash red, and either one or two faces will appear. Each face will spit out a purple orb that travels straight across. You must dodge these orbs at all cost, and continue to fire at them until they are destroyed.
 * By the end of the first part, you will cross into the darker portion of the cavern. You will be greeted by a Red Arremer, and what's worse, this is only the first of many Arremers throughout the next portion of the cavern. Deal with this Arremer just as you dealt with the first one: by firing at it first while jumping, and patiently waiting for the Arremer to land on the ground and rush you, or running away from it as it swoops down to dive at you.

Part 2

 * You will undoubtedly be frustrated by the continued presence of Red Arremers on your way up through the early portion of the cavern. It is important not to simply run away from them because they will pursue you and eventually outnumber you so badly that you will stand no chance against them. Remain calm and take them out one at a time.
 * When you reach a high enough level, the paths will start to branch and split up. You will be forced to face at least two Red Arremers no matter which pathway you decide to take. However, due to the layout of the stage secrets, the upper path tends to be a little more forgiving, if not lucrative. Be aware that if you take the upper path, you will be attacked by a Red Arremer whose original position can not be seen, so you cannot attack it preemptively.


 * When you are through dealing with all of the Arremers, your last step through the cavern will be to take a plunge off of the right sides and drop all the way back down to the bottom. There are a few treasure bags that might lure you, but if you're focused on capturing the secret treasures, ignore them. It is difficult to reach this point of the cavern with your armor in tact, so you'll definitely be interested in reclaiming the set that is available along the drop.
 * Once you land, you'll have nothing more than a single Red Arremer standing between you and the stage boss. Do not run towards the boss until the Arremer is defeated, or the two forces will overwhelm you. You can, however, run a little bit to the right in order to give yourself more space without fear since the boss is at the far end of the tunnel. Take out the Arremer carefully in order to hold on to your armor.

Boss
This is the first of three dragons that you will face throughout the game. This snake-like dragon flies about through the air in a somewhat erratic fashion. It can quickly go from gently floating along in one direction, to diving straight down on top of Arthur. As you attack the tail, the segments continue to disappear until only the head is left. While this can considerably reduce the threat of the dragon since its size diminishes, the only part that matters is the head. You must shoot the head six times in order to truly defeat the dragon and collect the key. The safest place to attack from is directly behind the dragon's head. You can follow behind at a safe distance and leap up in an effort to hit the head. When the dragon reaches the end of the screen and decides to turn around, quickly move to the opposite side if the passage is safe. Otherwise, run back and wait for a safe moment to pass beneath it. Don't forget to be on the look out for the orbs of fire that the dragon can fire at you.