Thunder Dragon 2/Stage 1

In the first stage, you will be able to level up your plane with a few power-ups and missiles. Although not overly difficult, once you are familiar with the formations, you'll be able to spend more time at the top of the screen defeating enemies as soon as they arrive to ensure you make it at least to the special Delta-wing plane at the end with the bonus medal. This stage is flown over a river amidst lush vegetation, with a large, fixed-wing, dual-engine boss plane at the end. For scoring purposes, you should be aiming for 300,000+ points, though 310,000+ is doable.

Bonus medals
The first 50k medal is received for blowing up all the letters spelling out: '''BATTLE IS BEGUN GOOD LUCK''' at the beginning of the stage. You also receive 50k bonus medals for destroying the seven bomb-dropping planes toward the end of the stage, and the special Delta-wing plane that's at the end of every stage.

Strategy
Although it's possible for the player 1 plane to destroy all the letters without using a bomb, it's worth the 50,000 points to do so if you don't think you'll get them all. Make sure you're hugging the right side of the screen afterwards and look for the explosion revealing a 1k medal before sweeping left and taking out the first row of popcorn planes. Sweep back right to take out the second wave, and either pick up the 50k and 1k medals while you're over there, or take out the next enemy first.

The next plane to come down is a somewhat durable spread shooter that will send out 3-bullet spreads until you take him out. Make sure to pick up the power-up he drops, then move to the left side of the screen to take out a group of popcorn planes. Two slightly bigger planes come down one after the other – first on right, then the left – so be ready for them. After this, the pattern repeats on the opposite side, with a group of popcorn planes coming down from the right, then the two staggered planes, this time on the left first, then the right.

Each of the bigger planes drop 500 point medals, so start collecting them as the next wave of popcorn planes comes down. From the left or right, sweep across the screen taking out planes and picking up any medals you can. Then sweep back the other way as the next wave comes down in a line straight across the screen with a slightly larger spread shooter behind them. After taking them out, move back to the middle to take care of the spread shooter (who drops a bomb pickup for you), then move to the left side of the screen. Sweep right to take out the next wave of popcorn planes, then stay there as another group flies in from that side. When they're gone, move to the left side, picking up the bomb in the process, to take out another group of planes.

After this you'll face three popcorn planes coming down each side of the screen at different times, while a dual rotary-blade plane hovers in the middle. Get rid of the plane in the middle first (it drops a missile pickup), then take out the planes on the sides. You want to end up on the right side of the screen near the top to take out in incoming group of popcorn planes and uncover a 500 point medal. After those, sweep over to the left, picking up the missile power-up, and shoot up the side of the screen to uncover a 500 and a 1k medal. If you can make it over to the other side quickly enough, you can uncover a second 1k medal as well. Don't be afraid to bomb to uncover the second 1k medal on the right, as you get a bomb pickup for collecting them both. While doing this, your first large, durable plane comes in from the top of the screen. This plane shoots two simultaneous bullet spreads, arcing to each bottom corner. Just move down to the bottom of the screen directly below it, and you'll be fine. In addition to the bullets, the plane also drops groups of six very slowly moving bombs.

After picking up your 1k medals on either side, either stay there and take out the group of popcorn planes on that side before moving over to the other group, or move down the screen and sweep back and forth taking out both sides as they come. The large plane you defeated just prior to these planes left your first 10k medal (worth 100 points at this point), but hold off to take out a wave of popcorn planes coming down in a "V" formation before going for it, which should also reveal a 500 point medal on the left. After that wave, the next large, durable plane comes down, this time a laser shooter. It charges up its laser for a second before shooting, then slowly sweeps across the screen. If you haven't died yet, your level 2 main weapon and missiles are more than enough firepower to take him out before he shoots. When you go to collect the previous 10k medal, just stay put and point-blank him. Otherwise, just stay to his side as close to the laser beam as you dare to take him out.

The laser shooter drops another 10k medal, but hold off to take out the next "V" formation wave of popcorn planes. As you go to pick up the medal, get ready to earn your second 50k bonus medal. Small green planes will drop down from the top of the screen, release a group of bombs and quickly retreat back up the screen. If you can manage to destroy them all without any escaping, you'll get the bonus medal. The come in this order: Your timing will have to be pretty good with the player 1 plane, which moves much slower. Also, make sure you don't head to the next plane before the current one is destroyed. If the plane has a chance to drop its bombs, they'll need to be destroyed before your shot reaches the plane. Each of the bomber planes leaves behind a 500 point medal upon its destruction.
 * 1) Left
 * 2) Right
 * 3) Left
 * 4) Right
 * 5) Middle
 * 6) Far left
 * 7) Far right

As soon as you've killed the last bomber plane (or it escapes), some small, somewhat durable spread shooters start dropping down. Head to the left and take the first one out, then move to the right and pick up the 50k medal if it's there and kill the second one. The last one comes straight down the middle. Each of the spread shooters leaves behind a 10k medal, so make sure you pick them up to increase your medal chain. You'll also want to try and pick up as many of the 500 point medals as you can while taking them out. When they're gone, move to the left side of the screen to take out a group of popcorn planes, then to the right to get the next group. On this side of the screen, if your timing was good throughout the stage, you can also uncover a 1k medal. If you are able to destroy the two groups of popcorn planes, a bomb pickup will come floating down from the top of the screen.

Next up is a full-screen wave of popcorn planes in "V" formation you'll have to sweep through, then the Delta-wing plane will show up if you've cleared the stage fast enough. He shoots a multi-layered spread of large fireballs, but it has decent sized holes you can get through. The easiest way to take him out may be to stay directly below him and just move slightly left or right of the first fireball, which should leave a clear path through the rest of his pattern. If you haven't died yet, your level 2 main weapon and missiles should take him out before he can run off. If you run out of time on the stage, he'll explode and you should still get the 50k bonus medal, although you'll forgo the 2,000 points you'd get for killing him yourself.

The formations continue after the Delta-wing, but the rest just have 500 point medals. Collecting the 50k bonus medal and shooting up the left and right sides of the screen to reveal a 10k medal on each side is more important. While you're doing this, the formation continues with four somewhat durable spread shooters that hover at the top of the screen coming down left, right, left then right. After them are more waves of popcorn planes. Each of the spread shooters also drops 500 point medals. When the warning for the boss appears, make sure you've collected the 50k and 10k medals or are about to, because you'll quickly speed up to meet the boss and lose your chance. If you're worried about missing some medals, as they take time to approach and reveal, you can use a bomb to uncover them both.

Area gaurdian
The stage boss consists of four different parts, three of which shoot various bullet spreads. Except for a line of bombs he drops early on in the fight, there's nothing really special about him. If you destroy all the bombs he drops, you'll receive a bomb pickup. You'll also get a power-up for destroying the left wing and a missile pickup for destroying the right wing. Though you can't see any turrets or guns, both wings shoot and so do his engines.
 * Boss: 30,000 points

Start out by shooting up his tail, then floating off to the left and working on his wing. When he releases the line of bombs, strafe right to take them out. They drop down slowly, but after a few seconds a secondary thruster kicks in and they speed toward you. Stay on the right and work on this wing, until the screen fills up with bullets from both wings' bullet spreads. Just drift back left to avoid them and finish off that wing. Once it's out of commission, you won't have any more difficult patterns to contend with, because with only one wing remaining, the boss can't create any more interlocking spreads.

Finish off the right wing, then center below the engines for the remainder of the fight. He'll let small spreads go off to the sides twice before sending a loose group of bullets down to you, so you only have to worry about dodging one of every three attacks. When he explodes, make sure to pick up the power-up and missile before the stage ends. Be careful not to run into any remaining bullets, as they persist even when the boss is destroyed, unlike other shmups that clear the screen as soon as the boss is destroyed.