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The wait is finally over. Castlevania is out on the N64. Maybe you weren't one of those people anxiously waiting its arrival? Maybe you thought that it couldn't get much better than Zelda? Well, there are definitely a few things about Castlevania that make it worthy of being a great game.

When you turn on the game, you are greeted by the famous castle with the blood-red moon shining above it. Then, it fades out to a boy (who we later learn is named Malus) playing the violin with the famous Castlevania tune. It's very dramatic, and that, for me, was hook, line, and sinker.

With all this skepticism about the obvious jump from 2D to 3D, I, for one, welcome it with open arms. I am a very big Castlevania fan, and I thought it couldn't get any better than SOTN, but in one way or another, it has. I feel that the 3rd dimension is a great way to go for Castlevania, just like Mario, Zelda, and Sonic, but there is always the option to stay with the tradition. But, sadly, most companies are thinking: "Screw tradition!" (Ahem, Zelda theme) This is, though, no reason at ALL to turn you off of buying or playing this game.

The graphics in Castlevania, in a word, are outstanding. I will admit, it can get slightly blurry at times from the anti-aliasing, but I am not that picky when I play a game. Unfortunately, others take a little more convincing. Well, I think that if the game DID make use of the RAM pak, it would be unbelievable, but we don't always get what we want. When you first start out the game, it's raining. You hear thunder rumbling in the background. This effect for me was so engrossing, but it does get better. When you finally reach the mansion, you go past a stunning fountain and into the building. The building is very realisticly and intricately designed, and you see paintings on the walls and vases on tables. Upstairs, stained-glass windows shine light through them, either sun light or moon light. When you walk up to any candleabra or torch, your character is specularly lighted up on that side of their body. Now if that isn't enough to convince you, I don't know what will.

The sound. Castlevania's music isn't (and never will be) quite as good as the PS version, but that's because of the format. However, the MIDI team at Konami are truly musical genuises. Each area that you are in has, respectively, its own music, and some places have no music at all. And, like all Castlevanias, this greatly adds to the ambiance of the game. The Mozart-like waltz in the mansion, or the heart-pounding music of the hedge maze make the game so much more worth playing. Sound effects are very realistic, like the classic crack of Schneider's whip, or the bone-rattling of a skeleton. And every time you hit a torch or candleabra, it dissolves and makes this eerie fizzing noise. It seems all too suitable for the game.

The play control can be defined as "loose" but I will not call it that. What I will call it is "semi-slippery." I say this because after you are running around and let go of the control stick, the character does a slight slide-hault. It seems as though every inch of Castlevania has a smooth sheet of ice over it, or it was just mopped by a janitor. No stopping on a dime like Mario here, but I believe that Konami did this to make the game more realistic. Schneider and Carrie run, jump, climb, side jump, slide, and use their weapons with ease. The weapon items are the classic four: knife, boomerang, axe, and holy water. Using them in 3D takes a while to get used to and aim, but you soon learn that each item has their advantages and disadvantages.

One of the best things I think gives Castlevania its edge is the use of Night and Day. You might be immediately thinking of Zelda, but I assure you, it is WAY different. In Castlevania, each HOUR is 35 seconds long. (yes, I timed it) This is a huge difference from Zelda, whose entire "days" and "nights" last nearly that long. There is a clock in the upper-right hand corner of the screen that is constantly moving, and when you press start, it tells you exact time you are at in military hours. Sunrise starts at 6am (0600 hours) and sunset is at 6pm (1800 hours) this adds to the diversity by making it so certain puzzles can be solved at night or certain people can be met at a certain time of day. Fortunately, for those that don't have tons of 35-second hours to spare, you can use sun or moon cards. These work just like the Sun Song in Zelda, moving time along as if it were nothing.(and it's just cool to watch the clock go around really quickly!)

Overall, I don't see where you could go wrong with Castlevania. The replay is also notched up a bit for the availability of 2 characters and 3 modes of difficulty. For die-hard members of the series, (like myself) give it a chance, play it yourself, and make your own opinion about the game. And for all those people out there that want Tomb Raider-type, non-cutesy game for the N64, this is the closest and best thing out for it yet. (although I don't quite see young Carrie as a sex symbol) This is a great game for anyone's N64 collection, and worth the $54 pricetag. I also guarantee you WILL jump in your chair at least once when you play this game. Have fun!