They act basically like zombies, roaming about mindlessly, sometimes in groups with other ghosts. Despite their relative stupidity, they are somewhat dangerous, due to their considerable strength, and their Dark Claw attack, which poisons the victim.
"Havin' a blast today!" -SMRPG
Attack Pattern: Regular attacks are Hobgoblin's bread and butter, but he also throws in a poisoning Dark Claw attack now and then.
Basic Strategies: Mario can probably beat him with one timed hit, depending on your level. Therefore, it's a pretty good idea to attack him first when taking on a group, as he is quite strong offensively, and it will automatically take one turn away from the enemy party.
Advanced Strategies: If you encounter a group with The Big Boo in it, and Mallow isn't strong enough to beat him with one timed hit, then have Mario concentrate on this enemy before attacking Hobgoblin. The reason for this is Boo can cut your offensive power in half, which slows the battle down a lot.
Hobgoblin can be beaten with one Pure Water, but you might want to save your Pure Waters for Shadow, as he can withstand more hits than any of the others.
Finally, blocking Hobgoblin is quite hard. He moves forward, then sort of shrugs, and finally his head lunges out a bit towards your character. You have to try to hit the A button while he is "lunging".
