that it was a game that got more intriguing as it goes on. GameSpot rated it 6.8, saying it looked good and had solid controls, but the level design was "monotonous". Game Informers Tim Turi felt that it was "decent" but did not feel like it captured the "overall style and atmosphere" of other Castlevania games. In other media Adapted and illustrated by Kou Sasakura, a two-volume manga adaptation titled was published in Japan from 2004 to 2007. Taking place between the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, the manga centers on Isaac and Hector. Tokyopop licensed it for English-language release in North America. The first volume, (), was released September 1, 2008, and the second, (), was published January 1, 2009. It is also licensed in France by Soleil Manga. The manga was positively received by English-language readers. The first volume ranked 72nd on the list of the top 100 best-selling graphic novels in September 2008 with an estimated 1,564 copies sold. In December 2008, the second volume placed 171st on the list of the top 300 best-selling graphic novels with an estimated 720 copies sold. However, it received mixed reviews from English-language critics—two of whom were fans of the Castlevania franchise. Criticism focused on Sasakura's artwork which tended to focus on close-ups and neglect the backgrounds, and the lack of fleshed-out characters. Mania Entertainment's Nadia Oxford disliked having a child as one of the main characters, calling it "unnecessary pandering to a younger audience" and concluding that "It's disappointing to see Castlevania thrown to a kid like so many other great properties." Conversely, another reviewer described it as "a fairly well done vampire comic book" with a "pitch perfect mood" and pleasant artwork, and About.com's Deb Aoki ranked it fifteenth on her list of the twenty-two best vampire manga. Hector and Isaac were introduced in the second season of the Castlevania animated television series as recurring characters (with the latter being vastly different in terms of character design compared to the game). In the subsequent season, a loose adaption of Saint Germain was added to the cast as well. The events of Curse of Darkness were not adapted. Notes References "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness." play Magazine. February 2005. pp. 18–22. External links Official website 2005 video games Fiction set in the 1470s Curse of Darkness Hack and slash games PlayStation 2 games Video