The first Castlevania videogame for PSP is in fact three games in one: two versions of the Japanese exclusive Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the PC and a revamped version of the celebrated Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but with new content and re-recorded voice acting.

But don't expect all three games to be available from the main menu: You must find special objects in the new 3-D version of Rondo of Blood to unlock the original 2-D version of the game from 1993 (but now in English) as well as the remake of Symphony of the Night.

And a word of caution: It won't be easy. Even seasoned players will find the nine-stage Rondo of Blood game a tough one to complete.

In this main game, you play as either Richter Belmont or Maria Renard, heroic vampire hunters determined to destroy the maniacal Count Dracula. Belmont uses a chain-like whip to attack nearby baddies (some of which take just one hit while others can take five, 10 or 20 hits to defeat). The whip is also used to break open objects -- be it boxes, candelabras or lanterns -- so you can step over what's found inside, including hearts for health, food for an immediate boost, a magic vial and other goodies. Renard, on the other hand, tosses a dove to defeat enemies and break open objects.

The gameplay will be familiar to fans of the series: The side-scrolling adventure, where you move your character from the left side of the screen to the right for the most part, has you battling demons, jumping over chasms, and defeating tough 'boss' characters that range from a fire-breathing, axe-wielding minotaur and fast werewolves to a four-armed, six-legged skeleton, to a giant purple dragons who can pick you up with their claws and throw you to the ground. Mid-level bosses, such as a giant golden skeleton or a nasty three-headed creature, will also appear from time to time. Depending on the route you take in the game, you may or may not encounter the same levels, enemies, mid-level bosses and power-ups.

Fans of the Castlevania games might also be interested to know The Dracula X Chronicles features new character designs by renowned Konami artist Ayami Kojima and the ability to mix and match music soundtracks from the various games; with the latter, a music screen off the main menu lets players select what they want to hear and on which level.

Along with three games packed onto this one UMD disc, players can also tackle the three modes in the Boss Rush games -- against the computer's artificial intelligence or with another PSP gamer in the room. This lets you fight against specific bosses from the game, or you can choose to randomize them. At first, gamers can only play the Random Rush mode (where bosses appear in random order), but then can unlock the other modes by playing well. This includes the Standard Route Rush (bosses from the regular route in the game appear in order), Boss Rush Dash (bosses from the secret route in the game appear in order), and Full Boss Rush (all bosses appear in order).

Along with the Boss Rush game types, you can also play a mode called Boss Demo, which lets you cash in virtual money you earned throughout the game to play against a boss you've already defeated in the solo adventure. The werewolf, for example, costs $100 to play, while the minotaurs cost $150. From this menu screen, gamers can also play any previously played level at any time.

Symphony of the Night, where you begin as Dracula's son, Alucard, improves on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 versions by adding Maria as a playable character (along with Richter), redoing the script and voice acting, and fixing some technical bugs found in the original game.

While these three adventures rock -- in gameplay, graphics and sound -- some of the controls are finicky, especially as Richter. A double-jump, for example, even when pushing the protagonist forward in a certain direction, has him move backwards after his flip. This will confuse many players who are used to a character jumping in the direction you're pushing him or her in. Climbing or descending stairs is also annoying, as you need to push up on the directional gamepad at a very precise spot at the tip of the staircase. The game doesn't use the PSP's analog stick at all.

What's cool about Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is that it doesn't matter if you're a serious fan of the series or new to these games -- the side-scrolling action is fun, intense and always seems to be fresh with unique monsters and level designs, bonus stages and hidden items, and the ability to unlock new games and modes. Newbie or younger players, however, might get frustrated as they're forced to repeat some stages over and over again until they can defeat the end boss, but once you get the hang of the sometimes finicky controls -- and once you learn your character's strengths and weaknesses -- you'll no doubt agree this ambitious Castlevania port is a worthy purchase.

This review was based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.