Konami's hit Castlevania series finally comes to the Nintendo 64. Traditionally a 2D adventure/platformer game, the series has delved into the 3D arena for the first time. Could Konami translate the 2D classic into 3D? The feel of the game remains true to its traditional roots, but it's not perfect.

The game story once again takes place in 19th century Transylvania, as an ancient evil awakens to plague the countryside. The player has a choice of controlling two characters who take different paths to the shared goal of defeating the evil Dracula. Reinhardt Schneider is the descendant of a powerful clan of vampire hunters who sports a whip to defeat his enemies. He is on a quest to do what he does best: kill vampires. Carrie Fernandez is a girl on a mission to avenge the death of her family by destroying Dracula. Her weapon is magic.

Each character takes different paths to the conclusion. Although most of the levels are the same, there are a couple of character-specific levels and each character will have a different ending. All this adds a decent amount of replay value to an otherwise short game.

Graphics are all polygon 3D utilizing the full power of the N64. Unfortunately, there are some problems, such as blurry effects in some areas and considerable slowdown, either during scenes with many enemies or during running. Sound is the best part of the game, effectively creating a spooky ambiance that fulfills the mood of a Castlevania game.

Cinematic cut-scenes advance the story. However, these could have used spoken dialogue. The game just seems too quiet. The game environment is also enhanced with a day-night cycle. More enemies appear during the night and some doors and events are triggered at specific times of the day. This system adds a certain puzzle element to the game as well as conferring a realistic time schedule.

Gameplay is where Castlevania shines and really translates the 2D classic feel to the new 3D world. In many ways the game can be described as a fusion between Zelda and Tomb Raider. The path is linear, with the character jumping on platforms, fighting all sorts of enemies, and solving simple switch puzzles to advance. The enemies are nothing short of spectacular. From the usual skeletons, bats, and vampires to the huge bosses and weird spider-women and assortment of demons. There's just plenty of joy to be had from killing countless, hideous monsters.

Attacks are divided into two levels, short-range (whip) and long range (knife). Special items can also be used for attack such as the familiar axe, holy water, and cross. These are first acquired on-screen then used depending on the number of red rubies collected. Killing of enemies provides these red rubies, as well as cash which can be used to buy an assortment of healing items from a wandering salesman.

Reinhardt and Carrie have plenty of moves such as jumping. running, crouching, and hanging from ledges. The problem in control comes with jumping. There is no option to stop walking at the edge of a ledge. This makes it hard to judge when to stop before jumping. Camera control, while adequate in most areas, does not help in environments with lots of jumping. Usually, the camera adjusts automatically and the player can change perspective to first-person temporarily to judge what is ahead of them. Hard to see ledges result in death practically every time one is encountered. Luckily, save crystals are everywhere so dying is not a major problem.

Perhaps the best use of attack controls is the automatic targeting. When an enemy approaches, a red box appears around it indicating that it is within range. By using a weapon in the general direction of the enemy, you strike your target every time. This is a huge help to fighting in a 3D environment. Finally, the player can face an attacking enemy by the press of one button, even if he is faced in the opposite direction at the time. The challenge comes when being attacked by multiple foes, since the turn-to-face-your-enemy technique is slow at best. Jumping is crucial to surviving attacks in this game.

Overall Castlevania 64 is a wonderfully atmospheric game. The great music and gothic environments, combined with familiar items successfully translate this series to the Nintendo 64. While control is adequate, it is by no means perfect and the graphics could have done with some more work, but the game is still a worthy buy for followers of the series.