Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

With the legendary Castlevania series fast reaching around thirty titles, it should be hard to pick out the best of the bunch — but it's not. This is the daddy of them all. Once again, some nutter is trying to resurrect the dark lord Dracula and this time it's up to his own son Alucard to take them down. So grab your crucifix, take a deep breath and step into the castle once again.

Originally released in 1997, this installment brought the game into the next generation back in the day on PSOne and despite most games making the leap into 3D at the time, this retained the two-dimensional look that the series was known for. A wise move as all 3rd dimension Castlevania titles were as terrifying as the original games, but for all the wrong reasons (they were a bit shit).

While predecessors saw the player travel through levels before reaching the end of the game this adopts an exploration angle with the whole castle acting as one giant level that takes some twenty hours to finish. A handy map system showing what areas have been explored (coloured blue) and those that haven't been unlocked yet (coloured grey) works a treat and the scale of the castle is at times overwhelming, but inviting at the same time.

Introducing RPG elements is the real masterstroke. Twat enough monsters and Alucard levels up, and both his health and magic bars increase slightly. Equipping armour and weapons to each hand offers deep customisation. Do you wield two weapons at once or hold a shield and sword instead to offer a bit more defense? The combinations are huge thanks to a shop where players can spend dropped loot on weapons, potions and secret items that can be used to overcome the brain-melting puzzles.

Combat is perfectly balanced with the odds never feeling out of your favour thanks to the diversity of the weapons available. Enemies range from vampire bats to hulking behemoths moving in stunning Mode 7 graphics (it allows sprites to rotate on their own axis, you'll see it if you download the game, it's wicked!). Coupled with stylish backdrops and locales, the game still looks stunning today. Areas are varied, ranging from dingy tombs to stained glass clock towers; because each has its own identity, navigation rarely becomes a chore.

Special mention has to go to Michiru Yamane's engrossing soundtrack. Each game in the series has some of the most memorable music of the 2D era and this is especially gorgeous. Sweeping orchestral riffs, chilling choir ensembles and even some heavy metal give the game's locales that little bit more identity (it more than makes up for the horrendous voice acting).

This is an essential purchase for any XBLA user and is fantastic value for the twenty or so hours you will put into it. The second dimension has never looked or played so good and if you overlook it because of the old school presentation then you are seriously missing out.