Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts/Weapons

Regular
The weapon with which you start the game. Reasonably powerful, with a straight horizontal flight. Two may be on-screen at once.

Enchanted
Your lances become sheathed in holy fire and are thus more powerful. However, only one may be on-screen at once.

Magic
Lightning strikes your head vertically from the top of the screen and then flies horizontally out of either side of you body. You rarely find yourself in situations where this is useful.

Regular
Two arrows are fired at an upwards angle. The firing rate is quick, and thus an ideal weapon for killing airborne enemies, and is decent against enemies on the ground. The downside is that the arrows are weak, and even weaker if you attack enemies at a distance; only a single arrow will likely hit the target. Two pairs of arrows can be fired at a time for a total of four on screen at a time.

Enchanted
Three powerful fireballs are fired that follow enemies and hit them. You don’t have to aim but you still have to face the enemy for the fireballs to track them properly. The one downside is that only two of the fireballs will likely hit a target (unless you’re close) and you won’t be able to use the weapon again until the last fireball hits something or disappears.

Magic
You are frozen in place for a second as the screen turns grey and hidden chests are forced to appear. This magic is not very useful, unless you are playing the game through for the first time and still do not know where the chests are. However, a slight plus is that you are invincible for a few seconds when the screen goes grey, which can cause enemies to pass through you.

Regular
While slightly weaker than most of the other weapons, the dagger is very quick. Three may be on-screen at once and their flight is a straight horizontal line.

Enchanted
As each dagger leaves your hand it transforms into a powerful laserbeam that flies across the screen and through scenery. Very useful in most situations. Only two may be on screen at once.

Magic
A blue dragon forms above your head before circling the screen and destroying enemies. Quite powerful and useful.

Regular
Only found on later levels, this boomerang-style weapon flies a short distance vertically above your head, returns, flies a short distance horizontally in the direction that you are facing and then returns. Two may be on-screen at once. This is a tricky weapon to use reliably though it can prove handy on levels where enemies appear on platforms above you.

Enchanted
Resembles a shuriken, though the flight remains the same as the regular blade. More powerful but with the same problems of accurate usage.

Magic
An explosion forms above you.

Bracelet
Only available after completing Stage 7 for the first time, this may be dropped by treasure chests whilst you are wearing the gold armour. What looks like a glowing ball of goo flies a medium distance from your hand. Damage is governed by distance—up close the bracelet is extremely powerful but this drops off to being weak at the limit of its range. There is no enchanted version of or magic associated with the bracelet.

Axe
A powerful weapon that can be thrown in an upward direction, which is useful in many situations. It travels in epicycles across the screen, similarly to the Fire weapon in Contra. Due to this cartwheel-like flight pattern, it can be difficult to hit small enemies.

Enchanted
Creates a double edged blade that flies above and/or infront of you. Extremely powerful, but only useful in some situations. The range is worsened, but flies much faster. You can only have one on screen at a time.

Magic
The Axe allows Arthur to shoot out small lasers in the 8 compass rose directions. This is a great spell, as it is powerful, can hit airborne enemies easily, and the invincibility lasts long enough to be useful.

Scythe
Your mileage may vary with this weapon. The Scythe will fly in a dynamic pattern left or right all the way across the screen, following terrain, and it hits enemies twice on contact, which can also strike nearby foes. However, you can only have one on screen, and this weapon is very slow. Also, if it is not successful in landing two hits, it is incredibly weak. The Scythe can fly in a downward path by pressing while throwing it.

Enchanted
The Scythe becomes a powerful green boomerang-like attack that can move downward by use of the D-pad. This Scythe is much more powerful, and flies faster. If you don't like the Scythe, then the upgraded version might sway your opinion. Like its un-enchanted predecessor, only one can be on-screen at a time.

Magic
The Scythe creates two tornadoes that fly in a figure-8-esque pattern. It can tear through foes, and is incredibly powerful.

Torch
The Torch is thrown in a short arc, which causes decent damage when it hits foes. It creates a fiery explosion on the ground (which can stun lock enemies) that moves forward upon contact with the ground. It behaves similarly to the Holy Water in Castlevania. You can have two on-screen at a time.

Enchanted
The Torch is almost identical to its un-enhanced version, but creates a faster explosion that goes higher, allowing for a better range. You can only have one on-screen, but since it's powerful and moves faster, this weapon may be more worth your while.

Magic
The Torch becomes a powerful rotating shield around Arthur. This can be very helpful, as there is almost no touching you while the shield is in use. When it fades, Arthur still gets some invincibility from it. Probably one of the best spells in the game.