Captain Silver Walkthrough Version: 1.11 Created: June 2005 Updated on 02/09/2011. Spelling mistakes corrected, additional information on enemies and shops added and additional information on the stages have been added. Updated on 19/09/2011. Slightly altered the formatting, and changed two section headings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Introduction ****** This walkthrough was created because I could find no walkthrough for the European version of the game which is much better and harder than the US version as it has two more levels. Captain Silver is one of those games in which one dies the first time one gets hit or touches an enemy. These games are numerous on the early video game systems such as the Sega Master System and the NES. Although frustrating to begin with, they pose quite a challenge and are quite rewarding once they're mastered. This walkthrough is split up into sections. These are: -Technical Information -My experience With The Game -Story/Object Of The Game -How To Play -Enemies -Items -Walkthrough -Bugs/Glitches -Final Notes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Technical Information ****** Captain Silver was a game released on the Sega Master System in 1987/88 by Data East. Two versions were made. One for North America and one for Europe. The North American version has only 4 levels so is not as good and these are just truncated versions of the European levels. Sega Power Magazine described this game as: "Looks like a pile of old grog at first but can be surprisingly addictive." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** My Experience With The Game ****** I first played this game when I was 12 and I loved it. I found it really hard but I played it and played it until I completed it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Story/Object Of The Game ****** The object of the game is to find Captain Silver's lost treasure. You assume the role of Jim. He is a young man who wants adventure and basically wants to be rich with treasure. That's it I'm afraid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** How To Play ****** Controls are as follows: Left/Right: Makes Jim walk/climb left and right Down: Makes Jim duck and climb down ladders Up: Jim climbs up ladders Down-Left/Down-Right: Jim crawls left/right Button 1: Jim slashes with his sword and starts the game at the title screen Button 2: Jim jumps Be very careful when jumping on to moving platforms. Unless you jump exactly onto the platform, Jim will fall through it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Enemies ****** There are two types of enemy. One disappears when hit and makes a ripping sound. The other gets thrown across the screen and makes a weird smack sound that I can't put down in words. I don't know why they made two types but it's just weird. All enemies kill you with one hit. Note: Some enemies are stronger and need more than one hit. They make a ding sound. When I first played I thought these were invincible but I kept hitting and they died. Wolf: These appear on level 1 only. On the first half of the level these only walk and are easy but after the fountain they jump but are still fairly easy. Cheshire Cat: These are on level 1 only and jump down from walls. In my opinion they are very sinister as they come from Alice in Wonderland. They are easy to kill. Let them come down a bit before killing them as they will leave a card which will be too high to get unless you wait. Jack-o-Lanterns: These enemies are on level 1 only and make a weird sound when they fall down from a tree and make the smacking sound when you kill them. Be careful of these because if you wait too long they get harder as you will have to duck to kill them. Pied Piper of Hamelin: There is only one of these in the whole game and it is on level 1. It needs a lot of hits to die and shoots musical notes which kill first time and must be avoided. A good strategy is let him jump over you then jump and strike from afar with sprites. Rat: There is one of these after the fountain on level 1 and many inside the ship on level 2. They leave no cards and can be difficult as you have to duck to kill them. Witch: There is only one of these in the whole game and needs more hits than the Pied Piper of Hamelin but is easier as it doesn't shoot anything. A good strategy is press the shoot button as fast as you can and then let her fly over you while you duck or you will die. Then she will come back. This time keep shooting. You should just kill her in time. If you are a beginner then duck again and don't kill her just let her fly out of the screen. Pirate A: These appear on level 2 and 3 and are moderately difficult. They have a gun whose bullets must be avoided: one hit and they're dead but the same applies to you. Sometimes they duck and shoot which is annoying because you have to jump over the bullets. Pirate B: These are easy. They appear on level 2 and 3. Just hit them once. Though on the main deck of the ship they climb out of holes; don't let them do that underneath you! Pirate C: These are extremely difficult. They are on level 2 and 3. Avoid if you can. Hit them from underneath or from afar. They need more than one hit and move more quickly than anything else. They also throw very fast knives. On level 3 there is one that appears on a boat. Jump over his knife and hit repeatedly with sprites. Seagull: These are on level 2 and 3. They float around above trying to touch you. They're fairly easy but be careful on level 3 as there isn't much room to avoid them. They make the weird smacking sound. Flying Fish: These are on level 3 only. Same as seagull except easier and come out of the water from the right hand side. Bat/Vampire Bat: I think the only difference between them is that the Vampire Bat is on level 1 and is slightly bigger. They wake up from sleeping upside-down and will move towards you in a downwards angle while shooting a slow fireball. Bats are on level 3 and 4 only. Skeleton: This appears on level 4 and 6 and is very quick and seems impervious to sprite stars which is unlucky since they need more than one hit. Let it come towards you then press Button 1 like mad. Ghost: This appears on level 4 and should pose no problem. They float quickly from either side of the screen and try to touch you but there aren't many of them and they only need one hit. Poison Frog: This is easy. They jump slowly from either side and need only one hit to die. It appears on level 4 and 5. Killer Fish: 3 of these are on level 5. Each on bridges. When walking over a bridge, duck and crawl and hit when one appears. If you have herbs you know there has been one because suddenly your herbs are gone! Savage A: These are on level 5 and need more than one hit. They shoot slow arrows but can duck. Watch out. Savage B: These are on level 5 and are like the skeleton in that they seem impervious to sprite stars except they are slower and need fewer hits to die. Just get close then hit them like mad. Crab: Move along the ground at tremendous speed on level 5. Duck and hit. They make the smacking sound. Coconut: Look at the trees on level 5. If they have coconuts on them then stand close, wait for them to fall and hit. They are quite easy. Man Eating Venus Fly Trap: Not really man eating but hard. They shoot and are in awkward places on level 6 only. Caution recommended. Moth: Strangely, this moth comes out in the daytime and looks like a butterfly. Hmm... Anyway they are easy and on level 6. Just don't run away as they are surprisingly fast. Eagle: The last one that makes a smacking sound. They are easy enough as they fly slowly from either side of the screen. They're on level 6. Panther: These are on level 6 and need more than one hit. They will stop and try to jump over you. It's easy to kill them before they do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Items ****** Firstly I will discuss shops. Shops can be found on levels 1 to 5 so on level 5 spend all your money as it is useless on level 6. Don't bother with the shop on level 1 as you won't have enough money unless you waste time or lose a life - in which case spend it. In level 2 find the chests. In one chest is a shop and in another there is a crown but it's random. This is the case for level 4 as well. In level 3 is a shop on a boat which is amusing but hurry on and off as the boat will go with you on it if you don't and you'll die. On level 5 is another normal shop but none on level 6. Just walk in and you have 20 seconds to choose what you want. Level 1 and 2 has things for 10,000, level 3 and 4 has things for 20,000 and level 5 has things for 30,000. Touch what you want and the money is instantly deducted. In normal shops a key is required for entrance otherwise it's locked and you can't get in. This is not good business advice I know but there you go. The chest shops on levels 2 and 4 require no such key. Just hit them with your sword and if you're lucky and it's the shop and not the crown, you'll instantly be transported to the shop. The shops always have a sprite, a pair of High Jumping Shoes, a clock and a pot of herbs for sale. To get money you must kill enemies. If done a card will appear. Several types of these cards exist: -A blank card gives 100 gold -A lettered card gives 300 gold -A changing lettered card gives 500 gold. (Not mentioned in the manual.) These are not obtained after killing enemies but are found in throughout the levels in various places: -Coin: 300 gold. Only one in game on level 1. -Large coin: 500 gold. -Small Coin: 300 gold. -Ring: 2,000 gold. -Crown: 3,000 gold. Anyway here are the items and what they do: -Clock: Stops the clock and gives more time. This item is useful for getting more time bonus at the end of each stage. -High Jumping Shoes: You jump higher than usual. More of a hindrance really as the run out too quickly without warning and they're never actually needed either. -Herbs: These are the most useful and you should always get some when you have the chance unless you already have them. They make you invicible for one hit. This is very useful for the majority of the enemies which die after one hit and the fireballs, bullets, knives etc. but they're useless on enemies that need more than one hit and the bosses themselves. -Sprite: If found outside they must be caught or they will go soon go. They make you shoot stars from your sword. Catch 2 and you shoot 3 stars. Catch 3 and you shoot 5! very useful. Always get some if you don't have the maximum allowed. All of these items can be found in the levels although they're usually in awkward, hard to reach places or surrounded by enemies. The sprites also move up and down and must be "caught" before they disappear off the screen. There's a sprite on each level except levels 3 and 6. Cards: As well as giving you money, they will also give you a life if you can spell "CAPTAIN SILVER" with them (a record of the cards already obtained is on the top of the screen). Blank cards have no letter and are therefore useless in this endeavour but the changing cards can be a great help. Just wait for the letters to change to the ones you need and then take them. Enemies that need more than one hit drop these but they're also found in rooms on levels 2 and 4. The letters always change in the same order. The order is almost the same as the order of the letters in "CAPTAIN SILVER" but with a few exceptions. The first two letters are the ones that appear twice, so A and I are first and are then followed by C, P, T, N, S, L, V, E, R. The changing letters will go through this cycle twice and will then disappear on their own. Grab them before they disappear even if it's not the letter you need as they're worth 500 Gold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Walkthrough ****** Level 1, The Town of Barsend This is relatively easy once you've had practice but if you've not played before it is hard. The player will start by a wall. Keep walking forward, kill the Wolves and the Cheshire Cats and grab the key until you see a tree with Jack-o-Lanterns. Carefully walk forwards and kill each one one at a time slowly. Climb up the ladder and grab the High Jumping Shoes (you can now reach the herbs you saw earlier if you want them) and walk off the top. The music will change here because a sprite has appeared bobbing up and down. Touch it to grab it and bingo! You now can shoot a single star from your sword. Walk forwards and the music will change again because the Pied Piper of Hamelin has appeared. He's tricky but once you learn his pattern he's simple. Walk forward, dodging the music notes he shoots and let him jump over you. After he does this shoot stars like crazy until he dies. The music will revert to the normal music and he will leave behind a changing letter card. Wait, if you wish for it to change to one you need or simply grab it, kill the wolves behind and in front and start walking towards the right again. Take the Coin here worth 300 Gold (the only one in the game) and after this, the Wolves should start jumping but they're still easy though. At the fountain, quickly jump on the water jets (they will hold you). Don't attempt to walk through the fountain by going on the water, you will die. Anyway, jump on the water jets before the rat comes so you can avoid him. Take the clock on top and simply jump down. A shop should be here. If you haven't lost any lives you shouldn't have enough money (I usually have around 8000 or so Gold which isn't enough for one item). If you do have 10000 Gold and wish to enter, just touch the door, and you will be transported inside. Touch the item you want and the value will be instantly deducted from your Gold. The key that you got earlier will also be lost. If you don't want to enter the shop, jump over where the door is and you won't be transported in and you'll keep your key. The last part of this level involves the only Witch. You'll see her flying before you get to the last tree with Jack-o-Lanterns. Fire stars like crazy at her and then duck to let her pass. When she comes back, fire again and she'll leave a changing letter card. If you want you can let her pass twice and she'll fly away on her own, it's your choice. After the last tree with Jack-o-Lanterns will be a few bats. Kill them, avoid their fireballs, continue right and when you hear a cackle, the boss will start. Boss The boss here is the Sorceress. She moves around the screen dropping Jack-o-Lanterns. This can be quite tough for a beginner as they can quickly start to pile up. The trick is to shoot stars like crazy at her relentlessly and you'll not only kill the Jack-o-Lanterns but also hit her as well. After a fair few hits she'll disintegrate, turn into a skeleton, and die. Your remaining time will be multiplied by 100 and added to your Gold. ******************************************************************************* Level 2, The Ship You start on the edge of the ship. Walk to the right and wait for the Pirate Bs to crawl out of the trap doors. Never let them crawl out underneath you or they'll touch you and you'll die. Kill the Pirate A and grab the sprite while fending off Seagulls. Climb the cargo net, grab the herbs and climb up some more. Here, a Pirate B will climb up after you so either stab downwards to kill him or step off onto the platform and wait to get him. A Pirate C will be walking around above. It's easiest if you kill him from underneath. Once he's gone, continue to the right and dispatch the Pirate A. Climb down and avoid the Pirate B who tries to catch you by surprise. Kill the Pirate Bs here and move on. Kill the Pirate As and Bs here and climb up another cargo net. Same as last time, kill the Pirate B who tries to climb up underneath you. Kill the Seagulls and the Pirate C and move on to the right. Climb down again, kill the Pirate C by getting close enough so your hits land on him but so that he doesn't move and try to hit you back. Climb down the trap door. Collect the coins and don't climb down (this will lead to a room with nothing but a Pirate C) instead, move to the right. In here kill the rats until you have enough room to climb down (the rats are endless). After climbing down you'll be in a room with two chests, one contains a shop while the other contains a crown; which is which is completely random. To open the chest, duck and hit it. If you get the shop, pick up a sprite, herbs if you need them, and a clock if you have the money. It's wise to get everything you need here as the next shop will have everything for 20000 Gold whereas here it's only 10000 Gold per item. Don't bother with the boots as you don't need them. If you get the crown from the chest, take it (it's worth 3000 Gold, not bad). Don't bother trying to open the other chest, you'll find it's quite impossible! From here, don't go to the left (this will lead to the aforementioned Pirate C who is quite difficult to kill; try it and see if you want at your own risk!). Instead, climb down and two Pirate Bs will be there. Dispatch them from the safety of the ladder and move to the left. In here will be coins, collect them and go back to the right. Climbing up here will lead to... the aforementioned Pirate C! Anyway, go back to the right, kill the Pirate Bs again and move to the right. Kill the Pirate B and the Pirate A in here and climb up. In here are five changing letter cards. Wait for the letters you need or grab them for the Gold, it's up to you. Whatever you do, don't wait so long that they disappear as it's easily done trust me. Climb up again and you'll be back on the main deck. Move to the right and the boss music will start. A little further and you'll meet the boss. Boss The boss here is the Captain of the ship Captain Cahbad. He can either be very easy or very difficult depending on how he moves. When he's easy he will just stand there while you button mash and hit him very fast until he eventually melts and dies. Most of the time though, he will jump over you and start walking towards you while stabbing with his sword. If he does this just back off a little, hit him and wait for him to jump over you and repeat the process. It won't be long till he's dead. The only dangerous thing is that sometimes he will corner you and most of the time that happens you will die. This is due to getting too far away from him because he won't jump over you if you do. Just stay close to him (not too close though!) and hit him and wait for him to jump over you and he'll die in no time. ******************************************************************************* Level 3, The Boat You start off on a little row boat. Don't worry, it moves on its own so there's no need to row! However, you MUST stay on the boat as jumping in the water is instant death. There's not much to be said about this level as you are moved automatically. Just kill the Seagulls, the FLYING Fish that move from right to left (don't let them take you by surprise) and the odd Bat that will come down shooting a slow fireball. When you see the High Jumping Shoes, take them and wait for the hardest bit of the level. Not long after you get the High Jumping Shoes, a boat will come from the left with a Pirate C standing on it. He will throw a knife either high or low. Although it is random, it is easier if he throws it high. If you have sprites, keep shooting stars at him till he's dead. If not, wait for him to get close and button mash the sword button till he's dead. It is tricky and don't feel disappointed if you die, just try again. What makes this situation more difficult is that sometimes there are Seagulls who will be flying around at the same time. Try to dispatch them before the Pirate C turns up. After he's dead, his boat will float away (don't try and jump on his boat, it's pointless and very dangerous). After a short time killing a few more Fish and Seagulls, the key will appear. If you still have the key from level 1, ignore it but if you haven't one, do a high jump and get it (the High Jumping Shoes will still be active). After a moment, a boat with a shop will appear. Quickly kill the Pirate A and board it to enter the shop. Everything here costs 20000 Gold so get what necessities you can afford (herbs and sprites) and leave. Quickly get back onto your own boat as the one with the shop on it will float away shortly. After it does, more Seagulls and Fish will appear and another boat with a Pirate A will appear. Kill him and his boat will float away. The sky will get darker and a few bats will appear with some Seagulls and Fish. Kill them and after a while your score will disappear. In a moment or two, you'll arrive at some land that looks like a grilled hamburger (you'll see) and the boss will appear. Boss The boss here is the Cyclops. He is quite tricky but as long as you follow my advice, he should die quite quickly. First and foremost, never stay on the boat. This may seem like a good strategy if you have sprites but believe me, you will die from one of the stones he throws sooner or later. As soon as you arrive at the land, jump onto it and walk towards the right. The trick here is to stay as close to him as you can without touching him. If you do this he will always throw his infinite supply of stones over your head. All you have to do is hit him repeatedly while he does this and he will soon petrify and melt into the ground. Job done. ******************************************************************************* Level 4, The Cave OK, from the start, go right, and climb up the ladders and jump to the next platforms. When you see the Skeleton, edge right till he starts to move and hit him when he gets close enough. Don't bother getting him from afar because sprites don't work on him. If you don't kill him this way, don't panic as you've weakened him. Jump to the platform when he's moving away from you and finish him off. From here, keep going right, killing the Bats and Frogs from afar. Kill the second Skeleton in the same way. Be careful not to fall in the water as it's instant death. When you reach land, walk gingerly to the right taking care of the Ghosts, Frogs and Bats. Be sure to grab the Sprite if you need it. When you get to the Skeleton, let it walk right up to you and button mash the sword button to kill it. Keep going right and kill the last Skeleton. From here, climb down the ladder and head left. Grab the rings (2000 Gold each) and small coins and head back to the right. Go right again, grab the rings and small coins and head down the ladder. Go left and choose which chest you want (it's either a shop or a crown) if you get the shop, stock up (everything is 20000 Gold) and leave. Before you head left, get ready, because a Skeleton will ambush you really cheaply. As soon as you're in the next screen, button mash the sword button like mad till he's dead. Head left again, kill the bats and get the letter cards before heading down (up leads to where we got the rings and small coins earlier). After going down, head right. Here are two chests again but inside them is either a ring or herbs. Again, it's random but you want the herbs if you need them and the ring if you don't but it doesn't matter too much. Head right, kill the Ghosts (they all leave letter cards with the letter I on them, strange). Head right again and you'll meet the boss. Boss The boss here is the Dragon. This boss is surprisingly easy. The Dragon only moves its head and shoots slow fireballs. Just keep hitting him and either jumping over or ducking his fireballs and although it will take a long time, he will die eventually. ******************************************************************************* Level 5, The Jungle From the start, notice the coconuts on the trees. They're not decoration, they will fall on top of you if you let them. Instead, edge close and let them fall in front of you. Kill them when they do to get their letters. Kill the fast moving crab and get the Savage A with the sprites if you can. otherwise, either jump over or duck his slow arrows, get close and kill him. Although he needs more than one hit, he leaves only a normal letter card. Keep going right, killing the enemies; when you get to the Savage B, think of him as a weaker Skeleton i.e. sprites won't work. Get close and button mash the sword button. When you get to the shop, use the key you should've found earlier and enter. This is the LAST shop in the game so spend all of your money here as from here on it's useless. The only drawback in the game is that everything is 30000 GOLD each. Get the necessities first (herbs, sprites if you need them) and waste the rest on a clock. Again, avoid the temptation to get the High Jumping Boots. They are useless and will only confuse you. Exit the shop and move on to the bridge. Crawl and keep hitting the sword button here until you kill the Killer Fish. It's easy to forget about him but he will either take your herbs away or kill you if you don't kill him first. Walk right again, kill the Frogs and the Savage As and Bs. Jump on the turtle here to cross the water (don't fall in) and duck to kill the Killer Fish while on the turtle. Jump off at the other end, kill the enemies and traverse one last river. Jump on the first turtle, kill the last Killer Fish while on it and jump to the second turtle on which a Killer Fish does not appear. Jump off on the other side, kill the last enemies and walk right until the boss music starts. Keep going to meet him. Boss The boss here is the Top Banana. He looks like some sort of jungle superhero. In fact he's extremely difficult. He will throw his mace at you either high or low. He does it very quickly and what's more, he has a shield which means you can only hurt him while jumping to hit his head (not recommended) or by ducking to hit his legs (recommended). You'll know you've hurt him because like all bosses, he will flash white instead of just making a noise. If he doesn't flash white, you're not hurting him. The trouble is trying to work out if he's going to throw his mace up or down. Here's the secret: When he throws his mace, he will stop first. If he is going to throw it up he will first very quickly put his arm up first. If he's going to throw it down he will just stop walking and throw. Just duck or jump accordingly. While dodging his attacks, advance towards him too as this will prevent him from cornering you but don't corner him ever as he'll hit you too easily. Just keep your distance. With practice you'll be able to dodge his attacks and duck to get hit his legs. Good practice is only to hit his legs when you're dodging his high attack then you can kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Once he's dead, you'll go to Level 6. ******************************************************************************* Level 6, The Mountain This is the last level. From the start you'll see two Man Eating Venus Fly Traps. Quickly jump to avoid their projectiles and kill them both. Climb up, kill another couple of them, and climb up to the top of the rock. Kill the Eagle and drop down to get the herbs. Move right, kill the Moth and the Panther. Keep moving right, killing Moths, Eagles and Panthers until you get to a moving platform. Get to the other side and climb down the ladder. Try to kill the Man Eating Venus Fly Trap with sprites; if you have no sprites just dodge its projectiles and move onto the next platform. The platform will take you right. Jump off onto the stationary platform and wait. Good practice here is to watch where the moving platforms move. Never expect them to go further than they do because they will turn back as soon as they reach their limit. Time your jumps, grab the clock here and move on to the next stationary platform. The next moving platform can be quite tricky as the gap is larger. Again, time your jump and go for it. Try to kill the Man Eating Venus Fly Trap with sprites otherwise avoid its projectiles and jump to the next platform carefully. Kill the Eagle and climb up. Here, if you fall down you'll go to the previous screen. You might not die if you land on a platform but it's unlikely so try to treat falling off with as much disdain as you previously did. Jump to the next platform, grab the herbs and jump to the next stationary platform and wait. Edge closer to the right until you get the Skeleton moving. (Praise to the programmers for putting a Skeleton here because it makes quite a challenge.) Weaken him and try to kill him every time he gets close and jump to the grass when he's dead. When on the grass, move right until you meet the boss. Boss The boss here is the Ghost of Captain Silver. Captain Silver will jump and throw fast flaming arrows at you. Try to get into a rhythm wherein you jump every time he throws one. When he looks like he's about to corner you, walk underneath his jump and jump again to avoid his flaming arrow. Do all this while attacking him repeatedly and he'll soon melt and you'll have completed the game. Treasure appears in the tree and your score will be counted up for the level. The ending sequence will then start. We learn that Jim used the treasure to fund excursions on the high seas to far away lands to find treasure. With this treasure, he was able to get married and lead a very prosperous life. The sequence ends with a picture of a book called Captain Silver. Enjoy the really good music here. Congratulations for leading Jim to a happy ending and completing the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Bugs/Glitches ****** Manual mistakes: These are numerous and include Gost instead of Ghost and things like that. Sometimes the enemies will flicker when too many are on the screen. Sometimes the sprite stars won't be visible after striking the sword. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ****** Final Notes ****** This guide can be found on the following sites: www.gamefaqs.com www.gamewinners.com If you wish to post this guide on your site, please send me an e-mail first to the address below. I hope you enjoyed this. Captain Silver is a fun and addictive game like Sega Power said it was. Having trouble? E-mail me at edwithmj (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk and I will respond. Thanks for reading. Good Day.