Konami's Castlevania series is one of the longest running out there. Ever since the first game on the NES, there have been games for every major system, right up to the 3D travesties on the N64, and this includes the humble black and white Game Boy. 
Taking elements largely from the NES versions and the PlayStation's Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon looks to be another hit. As always, you play some member of the legendary Belmont family and must battle your way past thousands of skeletons, ghosts and vampires, and, ultimately, Dracula himself. The Symphony of the Night influence is in the ability to collect new items along the way which give your character new abilities which allow him to reach new areas. In this respect, it is quite similar to a Metroid game. 
Players begin just inside Dracula's castle, as is the tradition, and have to work their way inwards towards Dracula's lair, collecting various power-ups along the way. The controls are slightly different from previous games thanks to the shoulder buttons. The R button, for example, will launch your character into a forwards kick and L seems to be used to aim in other directions. There are also a lot of increasingly nasty bosses to meet along the way, which really show off the GBA's graphical power. In addition, the scaling and rotation effects from the SNES games are included, helping to draw you closer into the drama of the game. 
Provided they don't do anything stupid at the last minute, Konami look to have a certain smash on their hands here. Fans of the series can look forward to, at long last, being able to thwart Dracula's minions in style.
 
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