Ghosts 'N Goblins

Ghosts 'N Goblins is an action/platform game originally released in arcades by Capcom in 1985 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. In the game, players control a knight (called Arthur) with goal of rescuing princess Prin Prin who has been kidnapped by a demon. Along the way numerous opponents attack including ogres, zombies, demons, dragons, and other types of monsters. The terrain also provides challenges in the form of obstacles, moving platforms, ladders to climb, water, fire, and more. Ghosts 'N Goblins is often noted for it's extremely high level of difficulty.

Ghosts 'N Goblins takes place in 6 horizontally scrolling levels, each with a different theme ranging from a haunted forest to ice caverns. Numerous monsters of different types attack throughout each level; some types of opponents can fly (such as birds, ghosts, and demons) while others are limited to walking on the ground or platforms (such as zombies). Additionally, each level features a large end of level boss guarding a gate that needs to be defeated before the gate can be opened in order to continue to the next level. Points are earned for defeating monsters, picking up items, and completing a level.

As Arthur the knight, players can walk, jump, climb, and use a weapon to get past the challenges presented by the terrain and the many attacking monsters. Initially, players are armed with throwable lances; several other weapons, including axes, swords, and flaming torches can be acquired along the way. Players also begin the game wearing a layer of armor; if hit by an enemy monster, the armor disappears leaving Arthur in only his underwear. After one more hit a life is lost, and the game ends when players have no more lives remaining. Additional armor can also be found at certain points in the game either laying on the ground or hidden somewhere.

Due to system limitations, the 8-bit computer ports by Elite Systems do not include all 6 levels found in the original version of the game. Versions for the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 include only 4 levels, the ZX Spectrum version has only 3 levels, and the Commodore 16 version has only 2 levels.