I have been literally raised on this game. I remember completing it in my more recent gaming years and remember the exhilaration of finally winning. I have also been known to do somewhat well with the arcade portion of it. I have not scored huge and major, but around 190,000, if I recall correctly. It is these facts that make me feel equipped to do such a task as this. So what is the best way to fight the legend? Well, let me explain.

First, I shall start of with the points value of the arcade version.

Centipede Head: 10
Centipede Link:   1
Scorpion:              1000
Spider:                   300, 600, 900, or 1200 depending on the distance. The closer he is, the more you score.
Flea:                       200
Mushroom:            1
 

So what are the purposes of these enemies, and which ones are the most important to take out?

Scorpion:  Kill this beast on sight! He will not attack you directly, but as he flies across the screen he poisons any mushroom in his way. If a centipede should hit one of these mushrooms, they will head straight to the bottom (unless you manage to strike the centipede somewhere along the way, in which case he will resume his normal movement. 

Spider: This is a dangerous foe that is both distracting and annoying. While his habit of eating mushrooms can help clear your playing field, his bouncing movement distracts you from your main target. Not only can he be hard to get away from, but his habit of eating the mushrooms tends to summon the fleas.

Flea: These guys really are not all that dangerous, as long as you can manage to shoot them or get out of their way. They like to plummet straight down from the top of the screen, planting mushrooms along the way. Target these guys sparingly.

Centipedes: These guys are the name of the game! By defeating a centipede you will be able to advance to the next round or wave. These bugs like to wind their way down to the bottom, where they will stay and reproduce if you do not shoot them fast enough. By shooting a body segment of the Centipede, you will break it up into more segments. These guys are not too dangerous, but they are the priority target. As I mentioned earlier, if they should happen to hit a poison mushroom, you had better look out!

Poisoned Mushroom: You already know what these will do. Shoot these before the Centipede gets to them...

So what is the best way to get really far in this game? My advice is that you keep your eye on the main target. Take down the scorpions and their mushrooms as fast as you can. Don't waste your time needlessly shooting mushrooms. Last but not least, do not waste your valuable lives over the spiders and fleas...they are difficult to target and are a high threat for crushing you! Happy hunting!


You are probably thinking by now, why did you not just do this under the regular arcade? Well, I wanted to combine the two in the same manner as the game. What I have explained about the enemies in the arcade version is also true in the adventure. Except for the fact that the Spiders and fleas are not as dangerous to you in the adventure and are easier to shoot. There are some other enemies and mushrooms that were not included in the original arcade however, and I would like to explain these as well...

??? : I cannot remember this guy by name. He might have been a fly. At any rate, he appears from the first world. He flies around and tries to drop bombs on you. He really is not super dangerous as long as you pay attention to the sound of his wings and keep an eye out for him. Your rockets are your best defense against him. However, if you can manage to find a high point and get up to his level, you can easily take him out that way too.

Mosquito: These flying enemies will sometimes dive bomb you and also have a habit of draining energy from the power crystals. The best way to get them is with rockets or missiles, but it is not impossible to hit him with your regular weapon from ground level. They mostly live in Frostonia.

Dragonfly: This Fiery flying fiend lives in Infernium and loves to fry you from the sky. Be careful, he is a little faster than that other fly. Use your rockets to fry him before you are toast.

Mortar Bug: This guy crawls around the battlefield and tries to throw mortars at you. When you shoot him, he will throw one last mortar at you so be careful.

Ice Beetle: These creatures live in Frostonia mostly and seem to like freezing things, including your friends and the mushrooms around them. 

Fire Beetle: These guys tend to like creating fire mushrooms. If you hit this beetle, he will split into 4 fireballs as a final attack, so be careful.

There are some mushrooms that you should be aware of in this game, in addition to the ones previously mentioned.

Ice Mushroom: This mushroom appears courtesy of the Ice beetle and will create an icy blast if you shoot it, so watch out and see if you can use it to your advantage...

Fire Mushroom: This Mushroom will split into four fireballs and try to fall on you. Exercise caution with these.

Reflective Mushrooms: These are only found in evile...if I remember correctly...At any rate, they will reflect your shot in a random direction, sometimes back at you. These mushrooms are not destroyed by your laser weapons and should be avoided. 

Shrapnel Mushrooms: These mushrooms are solid metal, but when you destroy them, they explode into shrapnel, so be careful.

At the end of every world, you will encounter one of the Super Bugs--or bosses. They can be tough to defeat, so you should know a few things before you deal with them...

The Ant in Weedom: This boss takes 500 hits to destroy. While this may sound extremely difficult, it really is not that bad. She will try to shoot you and can easily take you out with one false move on your end. Here's how you deal with her. She seems to want to drain all the energy from the energy crystals and makes it a big priority. Once she comes out, stay out of her sights. Wait for her to start draining the crystal and give it a few seconds. Then, sneak up behind her and let her have it! By this time she should be so deep into draining energy that she will not think about you. You should be able to deal the 500 shots to defeat her very quickly in this manner.

The Mantis of Frostonia: This praying mantis is killer. She is a tough boss, and I think that it takes even more shots to beat her. She will try to drain all the energy from the eclipse interference thing, but she will not get consumed in it like the ant will. She is fast and loves to shoot at you. But if you can just sneak up behind her and stay there, you might be able to do her in.

The Flying Creature of Infernium: This creature...it might be a bee. At any rate, it flies, making it hard to fight. You will need to collect all of the rockets and missiles that you can. Grab those ladybug shields as well, you are going to need them. Drain your rockets and missiles on her. If she is still standing after that, wait for her to try to shoot you. As she is trying to shoot you, you should be able to strike her with your normal lasers, as she is on your level. With all those ladybug shields, you will have protection in case she does hit you.

The Legend Itself...The Queen Pede: You have made it to Evile, you stand at the threshold where the very evil lives, now you need to finish the job. Put the legend to rest, once and for all...or at least for the next hundred years. First off, let me say this, there is no easy way to beat this one. The Queen will require a lot of persistence, skill, maneuverability, and good reflexes. You have to shoot her down to the last couple of segments. Each segment that you shoot, however, will create a wave of centipedes. You will not be able to move on UNTIL YOU DEFEAT ALL THE CENTIPEDES. Only then will her next segment be vulnerable. But on top of the centipedes, you have all the other bugs to worry about, and the queen pede shoots at you. This is where the maneuverability and reflexes come in. You will need to utilize the strafe and moving controls at once to run circles around them all. Stay alive and keep shooting the centipedes until none remain. Once you get down to two or three segments, just keep blasting away at her and she will fall. The legend is defeated.

Well, I think that is all that you will need to know about the task at hand. Have fun, and don't let the bad bugs bite!