This game is 2nd below Gradius III in terms on how difficult the game is. The graphics are similar to Gradius Gaiden, the music and gameplay is close to Gradius II, and it has a final boss that fights, which is amazing.

I also love how the first Salamander's boss gets rightfully eaten by some wormy dude, which is awesome.

It's about on-par with the previous Salamander. Visually, it's a little more interesting to look at, though some of the prerendered elements really don't jive well with the spritework. Played it once and got a small kick out of it, but again, wouldn't come back to play it again.