So here it is, the best Castlevania game ever. The graphics are excellent (including some very cool hardware-defying special effects) and the music is superb. And best of all, the gameplay is madly addicting. Choose to play as the spear-wielding Spaniard Eric Lacarde (my favorite), or John Morris, a meat-and-potatoes Texan with a bullwhip. Eric Lacarde has a special spear-jump attack, John Morris the ablity to swing from the ceiling with his whip (which Castlevania purists may prefer). The gameplay is very compelling and never gets too tough or too frustrating; it never goes crazy with the platform jumping and the bosses are challenging but never too hard. Sure, this is a difficult game, but given some modest skill and a little practice, you will be able to beat it (at least on normal mode) without too much fuss. A password continue option is available so you don't have start over from the very beginning if you lose all your lives. Also, it should be noted that there's a special ending to the game reserved for beating Bloodlines on hard mode, just in case you need an excuse to play it after you've beat it on normal mode ten times.

If you want one of the best games available for the Genesis, this is it. I only wish Konami had made more than one Castlevania game for the system, as I really like Bloodlines more than any other Castlevania game I've ever played.