Ghouls 'n' Ghosts Emulation
For those who may still not know it, there are programs on the internet (for various operating systems) that allow for the playing of the original versions of Ghouls 'n' Ghosts. This process of "translating" computer instructions is called "emulation". Currently, there are emulator programs for various systems (Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Atari, Coleco, Gameboy, Genesis, and even Arcade machines).
Thanks to the miraculous work of Bloodlust Software, Final Burn Alpha, WinKawaks, Nebula, and MAME teams, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts has been added to that long list of classic games currently under emulation (my apologies to other emulator programs and software programmers who currently emulate Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, helped to make the emulation of this game possible, and are not listed here. My greatest thanks and respect to you). This website largely focuses on the Arcade version of Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, though by no means does that mean that Ghouls 'n' Ghosts was not ported to other systems. According to Gamesmachine.com, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts has been ported to the Atari ST, Commodore 64, CPC, Japanese X68000, PC Engine, Spectrum, Amiga, Sega Genesis, and Sega Master systems.
Parting from the premise that the arcade version of Ghouls 'n' Ghosts was the most advanced (at least graphically), I am only offering information here on this website toward finding the tools for emulating the arcade Ghouls 'n' Ghosts. If you are interested in one of the other versions (for other systems), please visit Yahoo, Google, Altavista, or any other search engine and search for " Ghouls 'n' Ghosts emulation". This might yield information and files for the emulation of other Ghouls 'n' Ghosts ports.
*A note on emulation
The emulator programs and the process of emulation are not illegal. However, the ROM files (the files containing the original game code) are still the property of Capcom, until that company decides to release their content to the public domain. The law governing ROMS is much like the law governing audio CDs. You can make copies of the CD into CDRs if you own the original CD. Likewise, you may make computer "dumps" (or copies) of the original game chips if you own the Ghouls 'n' Ghosts Arcade PCB (hardware mainboard).
That said, you may find a "gng2.zip" file in various ROM-storing database websites on the internet. It is technically illegal to download this file onto your computer if you don't own G'n'G, but many people do it all the time.
To protect myself from legal action, I cannot offer the G'n'G roms on this site. However, I can point to sites who do have them. Don't worry...they're easy to find.
Files needed for G'n'G Emulation
1. You need an emulator program. By far, I recommend the best arcade emulator program, MAME. This amazing program has been written for Windows, Linux, Solaris, BeOS, and Macintosh based computers. There are even smaller versions for some of the Palm type handheld computers. You need this program to run G'n'G. The emulation under this program of G'n'G' is perfect in graphics and sound. You may search the internet for other programs (look for Callus, WinKawaks, Nebula, Final Burn Alpha, or others) that emulate Ghouls 'n' Ghosts perfectly or faster than MAME. I personally use MAME because it makes it easier to place all my games together. However, if your computer lacks the speed to run it fast on MAME, try one of the other faster programs. Some or all of these alternative programs don't have versions for alternative systems (meaning they only run on Windows-based computers. Do your own research.)
2. You need the G'n'G Arcade Roms (game code). The MAME.DK website currently contains many of the roms needed to run under MAME (I believe that the version on MAME.DK also works with other emulators, but experiment yourself). Should this website close, I'd suggest using the common search engines of the internet (Yahoo, Altavista, Google, etc) to find the G'n'G Arcade Roms.
3. Since I own an AMD 1.33ghz PC computer, I can only offer technical information on PCs. I would recommend a 500Mhz computer to run MAME and Ghouls 'n' Ghosts properly. Other systems may need more or less computer power. I would encourage you to download the program and test its performance on your computer for final results. To check the speed of the emulation, press F11 to see the emulation progress. If the game runs stable enough on 60/60 FPS without frameskipping (frameskip 0), then you're emulation of Ghouls 'n' Ghosts is excellent. If it is skipping frames, or not running at 60/60, your computer needs more power. Try other emulator programs (listed above on instruction 1) if you are having speed problems.
4. Read the MAME technical documents (or the technical documents of your preferred emulator program), configure the program to your liking, and THAT'S IT. ENJOY GHOULS 'N' GHOSTS AGAIN!
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