Castlevania (PS2)

That version was a side-viewed 2D affair and very addictive. This game has been given a complete revamp and converted into a 3D action epic.

In its gameplay it is very similar to Devil May Cry and fans of that game will enjoy playing Castlevania.

The game starts with the kidnapping of our hero's girlfriend by Dracula.

The lord of the undead bundles her off to his creepy castle, leaving said hero with very little option but to go after her.

This is where you come in.

Armed with nothing more than a trusty whip (move over, Indiana Jones), you head off to the castle.

Once over the drawbridge, the action begins. Basically, you must run around the castle meeting and beating the evil hordes while solving problems along the way.

It's good fun and, as with the original, quite addictive. A spooky soundtrack featuring a huge church organ straight out of a gothic horror will keep you in good spirits as you bash the un-living hell out of absolutely everything.

There are lots of special moves you can perform with your whip, and Konami has created a reasonably good beat-em-up, if anything else.

Staying power may be limited once you've mastered the action, but the inclusion of other weapons to throw at the enemy will go some way toward holding your interest.

Graphically, it's superb and flows effortlessly from one area to the next.

Your character looks good and is very responsive to the controls while the enemies are well drawn and give a real impression of un-living things.

Picking up special items along the way enables you to develop enhanced powers that can be used to take out the bigger beasts, and you'll stumble across plenty of savepoint rooms for when you've had enough.

Ultimately, the staying power of Castlevania lies a lot with personal taste and some people will love it, particularly fans of the aforementioned Devil May Cry and fans of the original.

Try before you buy, if you can.

Graphics 4/5
Sound 4/5
Gameplay 3.5/5
Gamespan 3.5/5
Overall 4/5

Darren Rackham