The version of Ghosts 'n' Goblins for the Nintendo NES is probably the hardest and most frustrating platform game ever devised. I'm sure that the Capcom game designers are still getting a big hoot out of people that play this game due to its super high difficulty. I think this has to do with the nature of platform games, usually designed so as to cause the player to take damage from touching enemies or enemy fire. This is in conflict with the unforgiving "two touches and you're out" mentality of a game that's, when compared to a game of similar mechanics such as Super Mario Bros, just really hard to start with. Adding further insult to injury, you must make it through to the end of each zone before your progress "is saved" and you can continue on from that point. The result is, in my opinion, a game that is so far past other platform games in difficulty as to render it ridiculous and comical.