How to play:

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Initially armed with a standard-issue service revolver, the player can acquire upgraded weapons during the course of play: a .357 Magnum, a semi-automatic pistol, a combat shotgun, an assault rifle, a submachine gun, or a grenade launcher. The submachine gun and grenade launcher can only be used once while other weapons can be reloaded like the basic service revolver. When the player loses a life, his/her weapon reverts to the basic service revolver. When the player loses all lives, the game will be over unless he/she chooses to continue.

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Lethal Enforcers has six stages (including the Training Stage): "The Bank Robbery", "Chinatown Assault", "Hijacking", "The Drug Dealers", and "Chemical Plant Sabotage". During each stage, the player must shoot the armed robbers without harming any innocent civilians or fellow policemen. One shot is enough to kill most enemies. At the end of each stage, a boss must be killed in order to complete the stage. A dip switch setting in the arcade version allows operators to let players progress through the stages in a linear fashion ("arcade mode") or select individual stages ("street mode").

Enemies always wear sunglasses, ski masks or gas masks, while fellow police officers and innocent bystanders are always barefaced. The boss character, however, sometimes will have his face exposed; however, this battle is fought where there are no innocents present.

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There are different ranks that the player can attain based on performance. The ranks are: Patrolman, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Commander. When the game begins, the player's rank is Patrolman, and after each stage the player is promoted, provided they have not killed any innocents.

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If any innocents are killed, the player either maintains his or her rank or gets demoted, although the ranks do not go below Patrolman.