AT WHAT COST?

You don’t need deep pockets to own Konami’s masterpiece

US PLAYSTATION £45+

■ SOTN was far more successful in the US, turning up on the Greatest Hits label. While it lacks the CD soundtrack found with the Pal release, it’s far better optimised. the original US release of the game typically sells for double the price of the Greatest Hits version. Both are still cheaper than the Pal release, however.

SATURN £110+

■ This is rising in price and could eventually dethrone the popular Pal version. it’s a mixed bag, because while it allows you to play as Maria Renard and includes new areas of the castle, it also suffers graphically compared to the Playstation original and has horrible slowdown at times. it’s one for the collectors, we feel.

XBOX 360 £20 (disc) £6.75 (digital)

■ Microsoft earned plenty of Kudos when it announced Symphony of the night was heading to Xbox live arcade. it’s an excellent port of the game and is optimised for HDTVS thanks to solid work by Backbone Entertainment. While it exists in physical form in the US, the easiest way to get it is directly from Xbox live.

PSP £30 (disc) £7.99 (digital)

■ When Konami released Castlevania: the Dracula X Chronicles for Sony’s handheld it included ports of both Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the night. SOTN requires a little bit of work to unlock, but it’s worth doing as it’s a revised version that features items dropped from the original and a more accurate localisation.

PS4 £15.99 (digital)

■ Castlevania Requiem on the PS4 features both SOTN and Rondo of Blood. it’s effectively the same version of the game that appeared on the PSP but it’s obviously been updated to run effectively on modern day televisions.