Castlevania games have been unwavering in their overall quality over the years, but the dismal efforts in Castlevania Adventure left a sour taste in the mouths of many loyal fans. Determined to improved upon that game's glaring faults, Konami returned to the drawing board for the GameBoy sequel. After delivering the seminal action game Super Castlevania IV for the SNES in 1991, Konami continued their support of the GameBoy with Castlevania Adventure II: Belmont's Revenge. Konami cannot be accused of ignoring their mistakes or the wishes of their fans, as Belmont's Revenge corrects nearly everything that failed in Castlevania Adventure. While Castlevania Adventure II still provides a stiff challenge, the difficulty is balanced by a more player-friendly game design that proves to be quite fun. Coupled with better visuals and the best GameBoy soundtrack ever, Castlevania Adventure II: Belmont's Revenge is a solid entry in the Castlevania saga.

Christopher Belmont makes an encore appearance in Belmont's Revenge after a brief vampire-killing respite. Just a few short years after defeating Dracula in Castlevania Adventure, the dastardly Count has returned to kidnap Christopher's son Solieyu. (A few Punky Brewster fans at Konami, it seems.) Though the basic play mechanics are almost identical to the previous game, the overall design of the game is much more forgiving. From the start of the game you can choose any of four elemental-themed castles to conquer (Air, Earth, Plant and Crystal), though you must finish them all before moving on to a Dracula's two-stage castle. Christopher has access to an axe and holy water in the game (Thank god!); the axe gives him a definite advantage in both range and attack power, so don't leave home without it. You'll still be required to climb ropes to traverse the various castles, but Christopher can now whip and throw his sub-weapons while climbing (Thank god!).

Christopher can still upgrade his vampire-killer whip by collecting those glowing sphere dealies, but taking a hit will no longer cause him to lose those extra powers. (Thank god!) Certain enemies can still trigger a weapon downgrade, but this proves to be only a mild setback in most cases. The castles are still littered with spikes, traps and pitfalls that Christopher must avoid, but the improved level design makes this process much more forgiving and less frustrating (Thank god!). An abundance of secret rooms await intrepid explorers, and each castle hides plenty of life-giving turkey for weary adventurers. The difficult is steady throughout the game, but revs up significantly in Dracula's Castle with more perilous traps. But overall the game is quite fun and can provide a good deal of enjoyment on a long commute.

The visuals in Castlevania Adventure II are slightly improved over those in the original GameBoy title, though some of the same drawbacks still apply. The backgrounds are much more detailed and feature a host of subtle animations that livens them up a bit. Little details, like cracking blocks and destructible bridges, provide much more visual diversity than before. Some of the cool background scenery for which the series is famous (gothic statues and ornate columns, for instance) return in Belmont's Revenge, setting a much more familiar tone than the original game. Simon is still pathetically small, however, as are most of the regular enemies in the game. Boss characters look to be a little larger and better animated than they were in Castlevania Adventure, which might not actually be saying much. While it's only marginally better in terms of visuals than its predecessor, my impression of the game is much more favorable due to its other improvements.

Musically, Belmont's Revenge is an absolute triumph that stands head and shoulders above the crowd of GameBoy titles. Despite the overall "tinny" sound imposed by the GameBoy, nearly every song sounds incredible and makes me wonder how Konami keeps churning out such stellar soundtracks on rudimentary hardware. Many of the tracks draw inspiration from the driving riffs of speed metal, mixed with a healthy dose of the baroque stylings that are prominent in other games in the series. The game gets off to a roaring start with New Messiah, a hypnotic piece that meshes perfectly with the confines of its stage. The tempo changes to a more low-key drum and bass track (Road of Enemy 1) when approaching a boss's lair before kicking into high gear with the speed-metal riffs of Evil Gods during the actual battle. Konami then breaks it down a bit for the Plant Castle with Ripe Seeds, which repeats the same melody at different octaves to create a pretty groovy tune. (Ripe Seeds for the Plant Castle, get it?)

Konami continues the musical excellence with Psycho Warrior and Praying Hands, a pair of sonic marvels (well, almost) that offer contrasting tempos and great basslines. Good stuff. The undisputed king of the hill in Belmont's Revenge is Original Sin, an impressive heavy metal ensemble that runs for a full minute before looping. The song, which accompanies the first stage of Dracula's Castle, is comprised of three guitar and bass riffs that drive the song along at breakneck speed. I would love to hear this tune played by The Minibosses, who've already performed awesome renditions of music from the first two Castlevania titles. Nearly every tune on the soundtrack is a joy to listen to, and even the less enjoyable songs (Chromatische Phantasie, for instance) are at least an ambitious experiment with the GameBoy hardware. I'm not joking when I say this game is worth the price of admission solely for its music. It's just that good.

Castlevania Adventure II: Belmont's Revenge is everything the first Castlevania Adventure should have been, and stands as one of the best action games available for the original GameBoy. The improved graphics and playability are certainly big drawing points, but the insanely great musical score absolutely must be witnessed to be believed. While it will be tough for handheld newcomers who cut their teeth with Circle of the Moon to go back an eleven-year-old GameBoy title, I still think it's worth your time to check it out. Castlevania Adventure II: Belmont's Revenge is still plenty difficult, but it's also a lot of fun for fans of the old-style Castlevania games. Just make sure to get a good pair of headphones for this one.