One of the main tenants of art history is that all art movements throughout time are based on the movement that came before it. There would be no Jackson Pollock drip paintings if there hadn't been Picasso and Braque's cubism. Right now you are either asking yourself who the hell is Georges Braque? Or how in the name of all that's sacred, can a game writer compare cubism to a Game Boy Advance game? Well, the same tenants that hold true for art history can be applied to video games as well. No more apparent is this than the GBA and Konami's Castlevania: Circle of the Moon.

The side-scroller is one of the most beloved type of old-school games that have sadly disappeared in our 3D-accelerated world. I love third-person adventure games like Mario 64 as much as the next guy, but part of me longs for the days of flat screens and the simplicity of moving only left to right and up and down. Well, Castlevania does just that with a twist. Konami could have easily regurgitated an old SNES title with fancy new graphic enhancements, but they didn't. The graphic and sound enhancements are there, but they did more than that. They took the basic Castlevania template and fused it together with other genres and newer game conceits to create a deep, interesting, fun and modern side-scroller.

The game begins with the usual I-have-risen-from-the-dead Dracula dialogue. Our hero, Nathan, is sent on a quest to avenge the death of his master's father. Let's face it, the story really doesn't matter in this game--this one's all about monster killing. And boy are there plenty of monsters to kill. All the usual gothic monster kids are back--you've got your mummies, your zombies, your mud men, and hellhounds galore. And what would a Castlevania game be without plenty of candles to whip? What is that all about, anyway? Where exactly are the power-ups coming from? The flame? The wick? Yeah, I know, it's a game. Accept it and move on.

Speaking of power-ups, all your faves from the days gone by are back--axes, daggers, potions and so forth. The difference is (and here is that wonderful modernization I mentioned earlier) on top of the usual power-up goodies, there are a whole host of other things to collect. Our hero is equipped with all kinds of stats (like an RPG), which can be increased by finding various articles of clothing, such as armor. Borrowing another page from the RPG, experience points are increased with each kill and players escalate in degrees of strength. Also, if that wasn't enough, there are also special items that enhance player's abilities which allow you to access parts of the level that were previously unreachable. All of these elements combine to create deep gameplay.

The levels are huge, twisty, and turny using every imaginable linear space in the second dimension. Just when you think you have gone crazy far, you have to turn back use your double-jump in a small space on the first board. It can be confusing at times, but all in all it makes for a staggeringly large feeling game space.

Graphically, CCM is stunning. It shows off the GBA's capabilities and is nothing less than astounding on such a small scale. Granted, this is a gothic horror game, so it's extremely dark. Sometimes too dark, but the details make up for the lack of light. Equally stunning is the sound. The game begins with what sounds like Gregorian chanting. All this from such a small package. If you like old-school side-scrollers, you'll be happy to know that Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is, without a doubt, the first absolutely must-have title for the GBA.