No matter your decision, note that there's a hidden chest in stage 1 of both games if you jump (or double jump in Super) at the far left side of the first screen. Jump in random locations and keep note of chest spawns. In Ghouls, skip the first chest you spawn, as that always contains a magician!Oh wow!
I'm still really unfamiliar with the series, beyond knowing they're notorious for their difficulty. It was only once I was well in the reeds of the NES port did I realise it was a port at all of the arcade original!
I'll look up the differences between Ghouls N' Ghosts and Super Ghouls N' Ghosts and figure out which to play next (will likely be the Genesis or SNES entries as I already have them setup)
They're very different games with different mechanics and stages, and while I have a soft spot for Ghouls, you can't go wrong with either of them!