This is another one of those games that I really like. I have not had an extreme amount of experience with it or anything like that, but I have played it a good deal. With this as one of my favorites, I am very excited to show you all the secrets of Galaga '88...err...the ones that I know anyway. I hope that this guide will be of use to the new and old players alike...

I shall start off by telling you about the dimensions. There are multiple segments to a dimension, and the more dimensions that you cross, the closer you can get to the end. But it is not necessary to cross dimensions, since you will eventually cross them anyways, but it is a good idea if you want some easy bonus points. However, as you cross the dimensions, the game becomes harder and the enemy more vicious. So buckle you seat belts if you decide to traverse the dimensions. All right, here is how you can get to the next dimension. It is really rather simple. All that is required of you is to collect two canisters before you hit the bonus round. Collect the canisters is very simple, and there are two ways that you will be able to pull it off. The easiest way is to just shoot the crystal asteroid like things that appear on many levels. Shooting one of these will drop a canister. There is one other way; however, it is a little more dangerous. Throughout the game, you will find that oftentimes two enemies of the same kind will join to become a dual alien fighter. These dual fighters are harder to take down, as they require more shots. They are also faster, bigger and stronger, and that makes it harder to avoid them at the bottom. But if you can shoot down one of these dual  fighters during the level, you will get a canister! I am going to go ahead and tell you the enemy that joins as a dual fighter for the first world. It is the light mint or aqua green enemies that somewhat resemble a pentagon, so be sure to leave some of these guys behind so that you can get a canister in the first world. Word of advice. If you see a canister, grab it before it falls off the screen! You only can get one canister per source per level. So that means if you drop one, that is all you will be getting till the next level unless you have another source. The canister will make you invincible for a few seconds, so do not worry too greatly about the aliens that are trying to get in your way. If you can collect two of these canisters, you will be able to warp to the next dimension and earn bonus points. I am not entirely sure, but I think it is possible to do a double warp. It seems as though I had pulled this off one time, but I am not certain.

Enemies: There are some enemies that you should know about throughout this game. I highly doubt that I have seen all the enemies in the game, but here are the ones that I know.

Line Header: This yellow, somewhat spherical alien can often be seen leading the aliens into the formation. They take several shots to destroy. Once they lead the aliens into formation, they stay on screen for a couple more seconds and spin around in circles before flying off the screen. If you can destroy theses guys, they are worth 600 points I believe.

Fierework Alien: At first, these guys may not seem that they are worth mentioning. However, if you shoot one of these while it is trying to attack you, it will break up into a group of much smaller enemies. If you can destroy the entire group, you will earn some bonus points!

Tractor Beamer: As in the original games, these guys like to capture your fighters when they can. Like in the original game, you can shoot while they are pulling you in. Unlike the original, they are not spinning you all over the place so it is easier to escape from their grip. If you should get your fighter captured, make sure that you shoot the Tractor beamer as he is trying to attack you. If you shoot him in formation, the fighter will turn around and fight you! Also, be careful that you do not shoot your fighter! It will be destroyed if you hit it! As in the original, it is more worthwhile to shoot the tractor beamers as they are flying rather than shooting them in formation. 

Balloon alien: These guys take several shots to take down. Every shot that they take inflates them, until they burst. Try to take these guys out quickly. Given their potential size, they can be dangerous, especially if you have a few attacking you at the same time.

Turret alien: This is what I call that wierd looking bug-eyed alien that flies about halfway down the screen, stops, fires at you, and then moves on quickly. It takes several shots to take this guy down. Here is a hint for you, when these guys are just a bubble as they fly into formation, they are easy to take out. Shoot as many of these guys as you can then! 

I probably should have mentioned this at the beginning of the guide,  but I forgot about it until now. At the beginning of the game, you have the option to take a single or double fighter. Take the double. Yes, you will have fewer lives left, but the double shot is far worth it. Especially if you get the dual fighter captured and you rescue it with your remaining fighter. You then will get the ultra powerful Triple fighter. The triple fighter fires three shots very close together, and has a faster rate of fire that your double fighter. It is as good as a rapid fire wide beam and will make minced meat out of those aliens!

Bonus Levels: These levels can seem tricky at first, but if you have a triple fighter and know the patterns, it is very easy to get a perfect score on them. For the most part, I can get a perfect score practically every time on the first bonus round and a lot of times on the second. Even if you only have a single fighter it is still possible, providing that you have a fast trigger finger and spot-on aim.

That is about all I know for right now, thanks for reading my guide, and I hope that it will prove useful to you all!

Galaga '88 is one of my favorite games and you really didn't leave anything out. On a more professional note your guide is clear, concise, well written, and very easy to follow. I know it can sometimes be difficult to write a guide for such an old game such as this with out basically telling your readers to "play the game to find out", but you have done a wonderful job not doing so.

I love this game. When I was younger, Dad would take me to the arcade once a month if I was a good kid. Well, Pac-Man and Galaga were the only games I could EVER get him to play with me. We usually split on Galaga, and he took about 75% of Pac-Man.
That would be a cool thing to do for my 21st birthday. Relive some old childhood memories with Dad, since his birthday is less than a week after mine.