Devil forgemaster. Imagine putting that under 'occupation' on your application for a loan to pay off your Christmas debt. Then get used to it, because you are one - well, Hector is - and so is Isaac, and you have to kill Isaac because he killed your wife, which is obviously pretty inconvenient. It's the 15th Century and Castlevania, in its second visit to PS2, has moved on several hundred years from the first. The gameplay has supposedly moved on considerably too.

The Castlevania staple of hack-slashery remains, but there's little point being a devil forgemaster if you don't forge devils, and, to this end, a new sidekick becomes available every time a boss is battered. Some assist your fighting ability while others possess magical skills and, niftily, their power increases in line with Hector's as experience points are gained. So the currently selected devil improves while the others go stale like bread. In theory this presents an interesting 'devil management' conundrum as to which ones to use and develop, especially as the weapon Hector uses to dispatch enemies affects the type of devil development jism (our term) that leaks out of their corpses. In practice, though, the devils' impact is minimal because the game is a breeze.

The vast eventual choice of weapons is redundant because the couple Hector starts out with are best, so experimentation is fruitless. Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness is still a perfectly competent actioner with slick combat, but it should have been given a graphical overhaul and less languid levels before loftier dreams were chased.

Graphics 50%
Unimaginative and unworthy.

Sound 80%
Consistently atmospheric tunes.

Gameplay 70%
Clever touches but bland level design.

Lifespan 70%
Bit of a cinch, but fun to finish.

Overall 70%
Ambitious gameplay is marred by lazy design, leaving this wallowing in mere decency when it could have been devilishly enjoyable.