Solomon's Key/Arcade 37 - 44

Stage 39


This is a "get out of here as fast as you can" level. Earth Mages are dangerous.

Immediately jump down and right to the next brown block, then down and right to the next and then down and right to the next one. Then make your way up and right to the key. You should be able to get the the block below the key before the Earth Mages can get to you. Then jump up and get the key. Now head right and up to the exit as fast as you can (the Earth Mages should have cleared the blocks with flames on them that are in your path).

No specific way to complete this level, just get out as fast as you can anyway you can.

Stage 42


Quickly run to the left and put a block on the ground under the far left white block which the second goblin up from the bottom is walking along. Then get up on it. Facing left, move to the far left of that block and place another block two blocks along and one up. Then jump up onto it, referred to hereafter as a "bat jump". Go left and do another "bat jump". Go left and do a third "bat jump". Now do a "bat jump" to the right. And then do another "bat jump" back to the left. You should now be standing on the far left of the screen, one level below the white blocks that the top goblin (on the left side) is walking on.

Time it to jump up and put a block on the left side of those white blocks (watching out for salamanders), so that the goblin walks on it. Then remove that block to drop the goblin and kill him. Now watch the timing of the salamanders. There should be two salamanders coming out of the mirrors around the same time, then a small break and then the next two come out. The small break is not that easy to detect.

Once the small gap is happening, build a block to your right and jump up. The salamanders will already be coming out by now. Try to be standing on the white block, then jump up and fireball them. Assuming that you have a super fireball, use it while jumping up and the fireball will kill the salamanders and also continue along to kill the two goblins that are walking around the white blocks by the key. If you have single fireballs it is a lot harder as you have to use multiple fireballs to kill the salamanders and goblins. Hurry and get to where the lower goblin was walking. Then time it (to avoid the salamanders) to build up to the next level of white blocks where the other goblin was walking. Get the key, secret bell, the sphinx bonues and extra life and get out.

Stage 43


This seems to be an incredibly hard level, and the probability of losing at least one life (and probably more) is high.

Head to the right and drop down onto the key, thereby sacrificing one life to get the key. On the next life go right again but cross the drop where the key was and drop down the next one. Keep going right and dropping down until you stand next to the middle "bat" symbol on the right-hand side and underneath the block with the flame on it. Then face left, drop down, drop the flame and replace the block going across until you stand on the next white block. Drop the next brown block in the floor to your left.

You are then left with the only "tricky" part of this level -- jumping down, removing the brown block on the left as you fall and entering that space at the same time. Then it's easy to get to the exit. All for the loss of just one life (assuming you make the "tricky" manoeuver first time round).

If you are a purist and want to try to complete the level without sacrificing a life, you would need to start by quickly heading down, taking out the block under the window to protect yourself against monsters coming out, and then heading right (jumping over the flame -- which in itself does not seem that easy) until you stand to the right of the "bat" symbol very close to the key. You would then need to drop the flame (you can't put another block in its place) and make a very difficult jump up to get the key and then back to where you originally stood. Or else you could jump up to get the key and proceed directly to the other side (where you'd need to take out the block and enter that space in the one move). But then you'd need to make the jump back? Or you could jump up and get the key and fall down a bit before entering the next passage to the right (where you'd need to take out the block and enter that space in the one move). You then proceed to the exit based on the sacrifice method above (which includes the "tricky" part).

The only problem with the purist method is that the jump up to get the key is very hard to do. If you miss the key you can't get back up to the key and so you must lose a life and then try again.

Stage 44


Wait for the slime to come to you. Then run past it and into the passage leading to the ghost. Put a block behind you to seal the passage and slow down the slime if it should choose to follow you. Drop down so that you are to the right of the flame.

Cast a spell on the flame to reduce its height. Time it to jump over the flame the moment the ghost hits the right-hand wall and starts to go left. Take out the block in the floor and time it to jump down when the goblin below is on the brown block. You can quickly take out that brown block to kill the goblin.

Drop down and remove the next brown block. Time it to fall down when the spark ball is going down and the green dragon is moving away to the right. Once on the ground, jump up to destroy the brown block and send the spark ball away. Stand just to the left of where the nuel is going up and down. Hopefully you have super fireballs!

Time it so that you fireball the nuel, which should then continue on to kill the green dragon, panel monster, spark ball and gargoyle. Sometimes the Earth Mage comes down from the central room, so make sure you get him if he does. Then run like crazy right and up and then left to get to the book. Slimes will come out of the right-hand mirror so be quick (or use more fireballs). Get the fairy if you have time. Cast a spell on the book to complete your quest!

If you don't have super fireballs it will be harder as you will have to avoid what monsters you can and destroy single monsters only where necessary. If you have single fireballs, try and save one for the Earth Mage or slimes as they are the ones that specifically target you and follow you.

If you have no fireballs, then try to avoid the monsters.