6-8-2001		3-21-2001
	6-10-2001		-

The year is 1830. At an old Austrian castle, the worshippers of Chaos attempt to revive the Lord of Darkness, Count Dracula. Vampire Hunter Morris Baldwin and his apprentices, Nathan Graves and son Hugh Baldwin, heard of this and headed to Castlevania to stop Count Dracula's resurrection and restoration of power. However, they arrived a few seconds too late and Camilla, a minion of Count Dracula, had already begun the rite to revive her master.

Circle of the Moon is something of a blend between the Symphony of the Night type games, and the classic titles of the series. You explore a large castle filled with Dracula's minions. As you defeat your enemies, you gain experience, and sometimes items to aid you. But that is where the RPG feel of Symphony ends. The classic aspects are the use of teh famed Vampire Killer whip, sub-weapons, and even the HP/MP bar shows the old school fashion. Sub-weapons consume hearts, which can be found by defeating enemies, or by hitting candles throughout the castle.
Unique to the title is the use of the DSS system. This system is composed of Action and Attribute cards. Combining any two of the type of cards, creates different effects for Nathan. The effects range from enhancing his whip, to summoning massive beasts to battle. It is not complicated to get teh hang of, and becomes a major factor in defeating the game. Cards are dropped by certain enemies within the game, like normal items. Some are more difficult to obtain than others. Once a DSS Card is aquired, it is not dropped again. There is no means of getting more than one card.
The music found in Circle of the Moon is considered by many fans to be the best of the GBA titles. I personally enjoyed the music of this title over the other two. There is a great blending of older scores and new ones. Perhaps the most known is the remix of Vampire Killer. At first you might not recognize it, but you will soon remember it from the classic Castlevania III.
Proof of Blood is perhaps my favorite new score. It was composed by Sotaro Tojima, who did the music for the game.
Though this is the only title to not have character modes, that allow you to play as other characters, there are some great diversions within the game. The battle Arena is perhaps the most difficult portion of the game, passing any other area in challenge. The collecting of the DSS Cards will lead you all over the castle, even to places you ahve already been late in the game (Hint hint). As for the challenge, it is definitely on par to a major platform release. Like Final fantasy title, Circle of the Moon is about leveling up, and getting the best equipment to get passed the next area.
Overall, Circle of the Moon is a fantastic title for the handheld. It provides perhaps the most solid gameplay of the GBA titles. And now that the DS has come with lit backlighting, it is far easier to get through. (God bless the DS) If you have not played this title, you should definitely pick it up. Even for its now 8 years out, it is worth the few dollars you will pay for it.