Dragon Quest IV

• Search every drawer, pot, and barrel you can find. If you've ever played RPGs before you should know this already.

• In Chapter 1, make sure to find the friendly monster in the underground well. You will have to go off the proper path to do this.

• In Chapters 2 and onward your characters begin as total weaklings. Grind them up a few levels around your home base before going anywhere.

• The preceding tip is especially important in Chapters 2 and 3. In Chapter 2, your characters begin with virtually no equipment and money is scarce, so in addition to grinding levels use a hand-me-down system for weapons and armo - on't immediately sell old equipment back to the shop. In Chapter 3, your enemies will routinely drop chests with powerful and expensive items in them; equip these if you can or sell them for startup cash if you can't.

• An NPC character will join you about a third of the way through Chapter 4. Get him ASAP because your PCs are weak on their own.

• NES version only: In Chapter 5 you lose control of all characters who aren't the hero. If you're carrying items that have an effect when used in battle keep them with the hero. Your other characters won't use them reliably.

• NES/DS difference: In the NES version, the character Alena has very low defense and cannot equip much armor, but makes up for it with extraordinary speed and attack power. The difference between her and Ragnar is that Ragnar is slower and a little less strong, but has more HP and defense. In the DS version, Alena has tremendous natural defense and improved HP, making her better than Ragnar in every way.

• NES/DS difference: In the NES version, the character Nara has abysmal stats and the game's slowest level-up rate, making her a mostly useless character. In the DS version (where she's named Meena), her stats and level-up rate are greatly improved, making her competitive with the other healer-type.