This FAQ is a guide to the weapons and fighting tactics that are most
efficient when playing Silent Hill.  Although the game is mostly about
atmosphere, puzzles, and storyline, fighting is an important part and I
hope that this FAQ will be useful to all the readers.
This FAQ Copyright 1999 by Mastermind.  It may only be duplicated and/or
used if full credit is given to me (as of now I have no sources).
This FAQ last revised 4/20/99.

UPDATES
5/23/99-just added some information at the end

WEAPONS
_knife_found in the cafe.  A weak, last resort weapon.  I never use it. 
Two attack methods and you can move and attack.
_steel pipe_found in the alley where the "to school" message is found. 
A descent weapon.  I use it on either lone enemies or things that crawl
on the floor.  Two attack methods.
_axe_just like the knife except much more effective.  It is found in the
secluded area of the antique shop.  I didn't use it that much since I
had the hammer, but it is good if you're only fighting one or two
enemies.  Two attack methods and you can move and attack.
_hammer_found in the hospital's generator room.  A very strong weapon. 
I used it on confrontations with fewer than three enemies.  Two attack
methods, cannot move and attack.    
_handgun_effective all around weapon.  Cybill gives it to you in the
beginning.  It it useful against all enemies but there are sometime more
efficient methods than using the pistol.  One attack method and you can
move and attack.  Holds 15 bullets.
_shotgun_found in the alternate school boys' second floor bathroom.  It
is basically a pumped up version of the pistol.  One attack method and
you can move and attack.  Holds 6 shells.
_hunting rifle_found in the place where you fight the worm-like thing. 
Strongest weapon found in game and should only be used on bosses.  Holds
6 bullets.  The first time I played the game, I didn't notice it and
never picked it up.  Therefore, it is not necessary to pick up this
weapon.  However, it makes boss fights a lot shorter.
_chainsaw*_found in the "cut-rite chainsaw" store window.  A cool weapon
that can be damaging without even swinging it.  Very strong.  Multiple
attack methods and you can move while attacking.  You need the fuel tank
to use this.  The problem with it is, it doesn't stop the enemies.  They
will take damage, but will keep attacking you.
_rock drill*_found in the lower area of the bridge control room. 
Similar to the chainsaw, but it stops the enemies, which makes it more
useful in my opinion.  You cannot move while attacking.  You need the
fuel tank to use this.
_katana*_found in the locked door in the house with the doghouse.  You
can move while attacking.  Strong weapon with multiple attack methods. 
Pretty cool.
_hyperblaster*_this is immediately placed in your inventory.  An
infinite lasergun that traces its shots.  It's good for people who like
to have high body counts.
Note:  weapons with a (*) can only be found in the "Next Fear" game and
only certain ones can be found, depending on your rank last game.  Look
in another FAQ for details on how to access special weapons and the Next
Fear concept.

FIGHTING TACTICS (for people without access to Next Fear weapons)
1)when you knock an enemy down, walk up to the body and press X to kill
it.
2)fight flying creatures with guns only, unless you're very skilled.
3)when there are more than two enemies going for you at a time, it's
better to use a mobile weapon (preferably a gun) since you want to stick
and move.
4)when fighting a single ground enemy that's not a boss, use a
non-projectile weapon, except the knife.  You should be able to knock it
down and step on it without getting hurt, and you save bullets. 
*Warning* do not use stabbing/hitting weapons on dogs, they're too quick
and you'll get hurt; also be wary of using these kind of weapons on the
ape-like creatures in the shopping district, they'll mess you up.
5)most non-projectile weapons have multiple attack methods.  This means
Harry swings/uses them differently depending on how you press the attack
button (i.e., pressing the button once will be a stronger attack, but
tapping the button twice quickly will give a double attack).
6)once you have the axe never use the knife.
7)once you have the hammer you can probably forget the steel pipe.
8)learn to strafe while running, it's a good tactic for bosses.
9)use the shotgun or hammer (my choice) for the hunched creatures you
find in the alternate hospital, they require too many handgun bullets.
10)oddly enough, you can outrun EVERY enemy in this game.  Sometimes,
the flying demons close in, but is you make a quick turn when they get
near, they'll never hit you.

FIGHTING TACTICS (for people with access to Next Fear weapons)
1)The rock drill is very efficient against the former hospital workers. 
Remember, the rock drill doesn't need to be swung in order to inflict
damage.
2)The katana is efficient against former hospital workers, and gives you
mobility to some extent.
3)The hyperblaster is basically the pistol with infinite bullets and an
aiming laser.  Use it in place of the pistol at all times for top
efficiency.
4)The chainsaw should not be used against enemies that have high
durability since it has no stopping power.  However, if used while
retreating from the enemy, it works nicely.  Remember, the chainsaw
doesn't need to be swung to do damage, and its top quality is its
mobility.
5)ammunition packs carry different amounts of bullets/shells depending
on the difficulty level and the weapon they're used for.  For numbers
please refer to another FAQ.  Anyway, there is a special options menu
that you can access by pressing L1, L2, R1, or R2 on the normal options
screen.  In this menu there is a feature called "Bullet X" or something
of that sort.  Depending on how many Next Fear games you have beaten and
saved on the save slot you're playing on, you can adjust this feature
from 1x to 6x.  This will multiply the number of bullets/shells you get
per pack by the number you pick.

ENEMY TACTICS
_flying demon_found all over the streets.  They  like to fly up and kick
your head. The  handgun is my weapon of choice.
_dog_found on the streets.  The dogs can only lunge and bite you.  The
handgun is my weapon of choice.
_ape_found on the streets of the shopping district and the resort area. 
They're not to observant and I usually don't take them on because they
take at least two shotgun blasts and can jump on you to deliver NASTY
damage.  If you do fight them, the shotgun is my weapon of choice.
_child demon_found in the school and amusement park (there are a few
more scattered around the game but these are the main areas).  This is
my most hated enemy in the game.  This is because they are small and
your heavy hitting weapons are usually misused.  They either grab you or
deliver a nice knife attack to the body.  Mostly attack in numbers,
which is their strong point.  On multiple ones, use a pistol.  On lone
ones, lots of hitting weapons will suffice.
_cockroach_found all over the place.  They don't deliver much damage and
one shot or smack will stun them so you can deliver the final smash. 
The pipe or hammer is my weapon of choice.
_former hospital workers_they're tough.  They charge up to you and start
swinging their knives.  When there's one or two, you can usually use the
hammer (my choice).  The shotgun is most effective otherwise.  However,
if you have earned the katana, it is not only tons of fun, but they
never get a hit on you if you swing it properly.
_sewer things_the green lizard creatures of the sewers don't cause the
radio to make noise (sneaky), but they make clicking sounds themselves. 
They have damaging attacks and are easily killed when alone, otherwise
you should run away.  The shotgun is my weapon of choice.
_lizard boss_found in the alternate school's boiler room.  Stay away
from him and keep shooting the pistol when he's not close.  If he gets
close, he lunges his head at you.  Eventually, he'll stop moving and
make noise.  Now, when he gets near you he will open his mouth.  On
normal and easy modes just blast twice with your shotgun and he's dead. 
Three or four shots to the throat will down him.  If you are in range of
his jaws and don't kill him, you're dead.
_worm boss_found in the town center's second floor.  He comes out of the
ground and burrows back in a few feet away.  If you stand still for more
than a few seconds when he's underground, he'll hit you.  Just keep
blasting with shotgun or rifle and he's easy. 
_moth boss_found on the roof of a building you have to climb while on
the streets.  Very easy.  Just keep circling him and stop to unload a
few rifle or shotgun blasts, and start circling again.  He can hit you
with his stinger, but only if you stand still for too long.
_Cybil_when you get on the carousel at the amusement park you fight
Cybil.  You can either kill her or throw some strange chemical on her to
instantly end the match.  If you kill her you will get one of the
"minus" endings.  If you use the chemical, you will get one of the
"plus" endings (for more detail on the endings see a different FAQ).  If
you want to let her live, you have to get right up to her and use the
red chemical that you found on the floor of a hospital room and put into
a plastic bottle.  If you want to be evil, use your pistol on her
whenever her gun is not drawn and she's not close.  When she pulls her
gun, RUN!  One shot will floor you and another hit will kill you if you
don't heal.  After you hit her enough times she runs out of bullets
(?).  She then just walks up to you and smacks you, which hurts more
than you'd think.  She also tries to strangle you sometimes, but it does
no damage.  Just keep shooting with any gun at this point.
_Alessa_the final boss of the game when you get one of the "bad"
endings.  She just stays in the middle of the room and fire lightning
bolts every now and then.  On easy you can evade the lightning with
coordination and precision.  I find that on normal and hard, however,
that she hits you no matter what you do.  Therefore, I tend to just walk
up to her and blast my strongest weapon as many times as I can.  After a
bolt hits you, heal yourself because two will kill you.
_Samael_the final boss of the game when you get one of the "good"
endings.  He stays in the air, but otherwise fights exactly like
Alessa.  However, his lightning attacks are a bit more sophisticated and
can hit you as many as FOUR times per attack.  This isn't too bad if you
heal after each hit.  Use the same strategy as on Alessa.  If you're low
on health supplies, start praying.  Neither boss is overwhelmingly
difficult if you have ample healing supplies.

TIPS FOR PLAYING ON "HARD"
1)The enemies all require more shots and do MUCH more damage.
2)When in closed areas (i.e., not on the streets), there are usually
more enemies than you can deal with.  For example, in the school you
will usually be surrounded by over four child demons at once.  No matter
how good YOU are, Harry is not fast enough to waste all of them without
getting hit.
3)Unfortunately, you will have to run away from most fights or shoot
enemies from a distance to thin them out.
4)You pick up fewer bullets per pack, however, this turns out not to
matter too much since you end up running away from monsters more often
than killing them all.
5)Your medical supplies become much more important.  They are just as
common on the *hard* level, but when you get hit you take so much damage
that you use at least one health drink after almost all confrontations. 
The drinks are more common than the medkits, but give less life. 
Therefore, when on caution, use a drink and when on danger, use a
medkit.  The ampoules should only be used when you absolutely cannot do
anything else and your sure you will get hit before you reach another
drink or medkit.
6)Check your health after each hit.  Unlike Resident Evil games, Harry's
appearence doesn't change when he's injured.  However, if you have a
Duel Shock, it vibrates when you are on caution or danger.

CONCLUSION
This FAQ is Copyright 1999 by Mastermind.  Also check out my information
guides for Resident Evil 2, Syphon Filter, and Legend of Legaia at
gamefaqs.com.  If you have any questions, email me at:
	aspiege@banet.net