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> Results: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
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The Castlevania series of games has been available for Nintendo's handheld systems since the beginning, with the first game appearing in 1989. The basic theme of the series is stopping Dracula, and Dawn of Sorrow continues the storyline from the 2003 GameBoy Advance game Aria of Sorrow, with the player once again taking the role of Soma Cruz. Soma realized he was the reincarnation of Dracula in Aria of Sorrow, but refused to take on the mantle of the dark lord. Dawn of Sorrow picks up the tale a year later, as new forces emerge to claim the legacy of Dracula's power.
The gameplay is very similar to earlier games in the series. You work your way through a massive castle maze, battling enemies in order to uncover the sinister plot and defeat the forces of evil. You capture souls that you equip to gain special abilities. There are save rooms along the way and warp rooms that allow you to traverse the castle more quickly. There is a well-marked map to track your progress displayed on the second screen. The second screen is also used when you are in a warp room to indicate where you are. When you activate the teleporter, it switches to a location selection map. It is an excellent use of the second screen. The game uses the touch screen and dual screens in three fairly ordinary ways, all of which work well without feeling ﾑgimmicky' or superfluous. First, when defeating an enemy Boss, you must sever his connection to the dark underworld feeding the resurgence of evil. To do this you must quickly draw the proper seal symbol connecting points on the touch screen. If you fail to do it correctly or quickly enough, the Boss returns with a small amount of health and you must defeat and seal the Boss again. The touch screen can also be paired with powers you can gain during the game to select enemies for your summoned allies to attack, and to break through crystal barriers.  The graphics and sound in Dawn of Sorrow are unexpectedly excellent. The screenshots from previews of the game looked much like those from the previous GBA versions. In reality this is one of the best looking games available on a handheld, making excellent use of the graphics power without ever slowing down or experiencing graphical glitches. And as you explore the castle you have a wonderful and varied soundtrack to convey the mood and propel the action. Castlevania is an excellent game in every respect. While it could be argued that the gameplay has not evolved enough from Aria of Sorrow or that the 2-dimensional, side-scrolling type of game has lived out its time, the bottom line is that Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is extremely fun and engaging from the time you power on your system until you are finished. It looks and feels thoroughly modern, and provides a depth and excitement of gameplay that will keep you focused and immersed throughout. It is a reminder that handheld games need not make excuses. Castlevania isn't great ﾑfor a handheld game', it is a truly great game that just happens to run on a handheld system.  
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow features a great deal of fantasy violence, paired with very intense battles with huge enemies. That is enough to earn it a T rating and a 14+ label. But the imagery used and the effective macabre music combine to deliver an excellent dark castle exploring experience that is not meant for small children.
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