GAME: "CASTLEVANIA: DAWN OF SORROW"

CONSOLE: NINTENDO DS

DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: KONAMIGENRE: ACTION RPG

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1-2, VIA WIRELESS

ESRB: T for teen, for blood and gore, fantasy violence

The premise: The year is 2036, one year after Dracula's castle emerged from a solar eclipse, seeking a new heir, Soma Cruz. Only with the help of his friends was Soma able to keep from turning into Dracula.

This game begins with a religious cult seeking to create a new dark lord; Soma has gone to investigate.

Game play: You are Soma Cruz, making your way through the religious cult's compound. When you defeat an enemy in "Dawn of Sorrow," there's a chance that the enemy's soul will appear; when you collect the souls, you gain new abilities.

There are "bullet souls," which are projectiles, such as the skeleton that lets you throw bones.

"Guardian souls" are helpful; for example, this ability slows your fall, but at the same time drains your magic power.

"Enhance souls" grant status bonuses such as strength or luck.

These three soul types are toggled on the status screen. One final category of souls grants you abilities such as double jumping, and you don't have to equip them or spend magic power on them.

The good/bad: Every time you defeat a boss, you must draw a magic seal with the stylus, and if you do this incorrectly, the boss gets some energy back. You end up fighting the boss over and over again until you quickly and correctly draw the design. Also, the game doesn't have enough save rooms. You can do a temporary save any time, but only the save rooms will replenish your health and magic points completely without the use of any items.

On the plus side, you have a multitude of weapons to find and equip. Getting the doppelganger soul (which enables you to have two sets of equipment) is like carrying two weapons that you can switch with the push of a button. You can also fuse souls to weapons to boost their power.

Tip: Buy the Soul Eater Ring as soon as you can, to raise the appearance of souls. This will help greatly in gaining new abilities and souls to fuse into weapons.

My take: This "Castlevania" installment wasn't as enjoyable as its predecessor, "Aria of Sorrow." There just wasn't anything to really distinguish this from earlier titles in the franchise. The use of the stylus was pretty minimal and it didn't deviate from the usual setup. If you're a fan of "Castlevania," it will at least be worth playing for the advancement in the plot. It was nice to get something from the enemies besides a thumb cramp.

Jeffrey Davis of Honolulu is a video-game enthusiast.

Have a CD or video game you want to review? Reach TGIF editor Debra Yuen at dyuen@honoluluadvertiser.com.