Dracula: The Last Sanctuary

The answer lies in the list of symbols recorded in one of your journals. if you walk to the bottom of the stairs - being careful not to pass through the ring of spikes - and look back toward the staircase you will see that each is marked with a symbol. Make a note of which symbols appear in the journal, and the number of the step it is on from the top. Then it is simply a matter of making sure you only tread of the correct steps on the way down. This can be tricky, as the pointer is somewhat imprecise, but if done correctly you will be able to walk through the ring without being killed.