Vamping up the dark side

IF you are the queasy type then this is certainty a game to( a void at all costs. You are Kain, once a nice guy who is given the chance to avenge his death by the mother of all vampires.

Too tempting to resist, our character chooses the "eternal life after death" option instead of the "bring me over to the graveyard" alternative.

So, he heads off into the night in search of his murderer. However, that's not the only thing Kain has to kill. In the course of his quest he also does away with some of the ordinary folk of the villages he visits. After all a vampire has to feed too! And, of course, preferably at night when he is at his strongest.

Just like Dracula, Kain isn't one for foreign sunny holidays. In fact he also dislikes water and snow. Not to be out-done by the Christopher Lee character, Kain also has a few tricks up his sleeve. Not only can he transform himself into a bat, he can also transform into a wolf, a cloud of mist or disguise himself as an ordinary Joe.

When he is a wolf Kain can jump otherwise impassable obstacles and ledges. He can, of course, move a lot faster too. As a bat he can fly to areas of the world otherwise closed off to him. To accomplish this he uses his sonar and gauges his position with the help of beacons. When in mist form he can pass through doors and wall etc. Other forms enable Kain to pass unnoticed among humans.

Kain can also gather a host of helpful power-ups to aid him in his dark hour of need. Besides the standard armour and weaponry, Kain has the ability to cast spells over those who are unfortunate enough to cross his path. The spells cover a broad spectrum. For example, some can be used to illuminate dark areas, others can be used to inspire hate in your enemies, therefore setting them against each other, while another can incapacitate an on-coming foe.

Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain reminds one of that great Nintendo game Zelda in that it not only gives you the same perspective of the game but the gameplay itself has other similar attributes. It must be, said, however, that The Legacy of Kain is an older gameplyer's game. The graphics are not of the 21st century but such is the quality of the gameplay that you'll hardly notice. That said though, it still might not be everybody's cup of tea due to its dark content and it will take a while to really get into it. Watch the rising sun!

Graphics: 75%

Sound: 80%

Gameplay: 89%