Sharpen your stake and grab the garlic - Drac is back! Set centuries before the events of 2001's Circle of the Moon, Castlevania - Harmony of Dissonance follows the further adventures of the vampire-hunting Belmont family. Enter 18-year-old Juste Belmont, who must follow in his ancestors' footsteps and embark on a Drac-bashing rescue mission to save his childhood friend. Bigger, better and brighter than the best-selling GBA original, Harmony of Dissonance combines classic action-packed platform gameplay with RPG elements like Hit Points, experience and equipment to boost your character's abilities. Armed with his trusty whip, passed down through generations of brave Belmonts, Juste must take on Dracula's army of undead warriors. But you'll also need to become a master of magic too, because spells now play a bigger role than ever. By searching out five spell books, Juste can call on the forces of Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning and Summoning. But, best of all, magic can be combined with weaponry to create devastating super attacks. For instance, if Juste fuses his knife with Ice magic, the hero is bestowed with a deadly blast of ice blades. It's great fun combining different weapons and magic, just to see the pyrotechnics they produce. Konami have pulled out all the stops to make sure that Harmony of Dissonance totally eclipses Circle of the Moon. Firstly, the graphics are more vibrant, with bigger characters and an overall lighter look. Plus, the magic system has been simplified by ditching the Action and Attribute cards. And the new Quick Save means you can stop playing at any time and restart where you left off. Very handy indeed. After a few hours spent exploring the labyrinthine castle, you'll realise that Castlevania - Harmony of Dissonance piles on the secrets and surprises like never before. By collecting gold hidden throughout the game, Juste can buy bigger and better weapons to bolster his abilities. Plus you'll need to explore every nook and cranny to uncover hordes of secret items. The combination of action and RPG elements raises Castlevania: HOD far above your average hack 'n' slash platformer, the music and sound effects are as creepy and atmospheric as ever, and the sprawling level layout will test your memory to the max. Quite simply, if you loved Circle of the Moon, then Harmony of Dissonance is a game you can really get your teeth into!