Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

• Most of the dungeons are a bunch of time-consuming puzzles. All enemies that exist will run away and you can shoot arrows to stop them for a few steps. You can swing your sword to make them move again without you moving.

• Many puzzles in Lufia II will require you to use the turn feature, which changes the direction you're facing without causing any movement. I think it's one of the shoulder buttons. Learn it and use it.

• Many weapons are dark-elemental and are ineffective against undead enemies. Keep a spare weapon or two around just in case.

• In general, healing and support magic are better uses of your MP than attack magic.

• During the game you'll acquire a bunch of familiars, called "capsule monsters," that act as NPCs in battles. Most of them aren't very useful, but the "light" class monster will heal you. Free healing is always useful and is a necessity in the bonus dungeon.

• The bonus dungeon is accessible about halfway through the game. It's a 99 level dungeon and you lose all your levels and equipment when you go in. Most of the things you find there can't be taken out of the dungeon, either. But on occasion you'll find a blue treasure chest, whose contents will follow you out of the dungeon and accompany you on subsequent trips. Some of the best equipment in the game is in those chests and if you're diligent about delving the dungeon you can break the main quest pretty easily. Beating the dungeon itself is totally another matter, though.

• The "Isis" items you'll find in the bonus dungeon do nothing and serve no purpose but to display some pretty sprites in the museum.

• The "something is causing earthquakes" quest's boss fight (early in the game) can be a bitch. Big(?) Boomerangs are actually useful for this one fight, buy a few before you leave the village.

• The "find the Ruby Apple" boss sucks too.