By far the most sought after of Castlevania games (at least
outside of Japan) Dracula X: Rondo of Blood is the defining
old school Castlevania title, but this time with a sleek anime
look. Though only eight stages
need to be traversed, there are several alternate stages
to encourage not only a fair amout of replay, but also
plenty of searching. Two playable characters are available:
traditional Belmont hero Richter, and cute but fierce little
girl Maria. Add in the usual kick-ass Castlevania score, and
a fair difficulty to balance the frustration factor, Dracula
X lives up to everything and not only surpasses it, but
shatters it completely.