Not necessarily a walkthrough, but some things for people who have not played the game.
There are 30 'levels' to the game.
Ironicaly there are 30 spaces for upgrades even though only 19 are available. Of those 19: 13 are upgrades to your bow and arrow and 6 are for your army.
I personally went for all of the arrow upgrades first, then went for the military - its entirely up to you.
If you want to have some fun - use the combo of Fire and Bomb arrow on the enemy castle and destroy it. Each Bomb hit also knocks off some of the castle that, with some creative aimimng, will also damage the troops going by :-) <Once I obtained the Bomb arrow, I destroyed the enemy castle on every level.> AND/OR - use the enemy castle to 'bank shot' you "wave" arrows. The wave arrows won't damage the castle but instead get reflected down onto enemy troops :-) Especially those that like to hide in front of or directly behind the castle - like archers and priests.
ENEMIES: there are spoilers here, so if you want to be suprised; bypass this part. The enemy has the same troops you do, only a 'tad' bit stronger. The enemy also has access to DRAGONS. Yep... dragons. 4 different kinds.
The first you meet is the Grey Dragon. The weakest of the 4 can be handled by either the Flack or normal arrow.
Next is the Blue, This guy fires Ice arrows that are just like yours. And like yours, they do NO damage to castles or towers. The Flack and normal arrow will damage it, but this guy is a bit tougher than the Grey. A single FIRE arrow will take him down.
Next is the Red. This guy shoots FIRE arrows and, like yours, can indeed harm the castle and tower. The Flak arrow has little or NO effect. The normal arrow will harm it; but it too is tougher than the Grey. A single ICE arrow will take it down.
Next is the GREEN dragon. This guy is also tougher than the Grey and shoots green circles of poison that damage troops AND tower/castle. Flak and normal arrow will damage it but a single FIRE arrow can take it down.
All dragons will eventually 'hover' in front of your shots to protect the enemy troops down below. I've seen them take direct hits from wave arrows which they just shrug off and the wave will continue to the grudn from where it hit the dragon <much like with the castle>. And comically enough, even the Meteor and Comet have hit them which they also shrug off. You would think any of these would take them down - but no. Only the ones I mentioned will take them down in one shot. It seems all others will do some damage, but multiple shots are required to take them down.
BIG SPOILER: The last level, 30, has a HUGE AXE-WIELDING TROLL. Yep.. he's big... and slow... and has MASSIVE hit points. Wave shots will do "minor" damage but there are two times when it is vulnerable to being shot. Any other time - they bounce right off. The first is when it raises it's arms to strike a blow. Aim for the neck or arm region and you do some 'decent' damage. I recommend the FIRE arrow. Save yu bomb arrow for the second area. Second area: After striking a blow, which does HUGE amounts of damage to towers/castle, it takes the helmet off and wipes its brow. AS SOON AS IT DOES THIS - fire WHATEVER YOU CAN at it. The Bomb arrow is really good since it will knock the thing off its feet onto the ground. Once on the ground hit it with whatever you can. Don't forget about the enemy troops though - or the Dragons.. or the red and Bluw Warrior. Yes... you get ALL of that and the Troll.
I have yet to kill the thing. I won by shear luck with some horse riders that were able to go in, snatch the flag and return.
Final score for me: 26,264.
STRATEGY: Kill the troops or steal the flag. IF the terrain is flat, or with very few hills, I will attempt to flag capture. Otherwise it is a waste of troops, but that is just my opinion.
There WILL be times when it is necessary to leave your home castle. Type D for this and A <move left> or D <move right>. There will be some weird curve hill that none of your shots will reach and yu now some archer/priest/catapult will hide behind it. So it requires you to go out and hunt them like the pigs they are.
Some levels will also have intermittent towers. You can occupy those - and I heartily recommend doing so (QUICKLY). The closer you are - the more accurate your shots and you're protected.
Have fun woirking on that carpal tunnel while playing this highly addictive game :-)
Bowmaster Prelude is the best flash game ever, imo. Great graphics, sound effects, and more enough weapons to keep you entertained. The cooldown on all the weapons is set just right, to keep you on the edge of your chair. The many types of enemies also keep it interesting.
