Konami’s “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” is the latest game in the long and illustrious line of “Castlevania” games that had me frustrated at times with how challenging the game can be.

However, I found the experience to be extremely rewarding.

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” was released Oct. 5, 2010, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The game itself is an unholy union of “God of War,” “Prince of Persia,” “Onimusha,” and the “Castlevania” games that many of us have grown up with.

The story begins ambiguously enough. A man is travelling along a dirt road toward a small village, but when he arrives, a large pack of werewolves are laying siege on the collection of rickety shacks.

The main character is an orphan who goes by the name of Gabriel Belmont, and his weapon of choice is the whip that we have come to expect from the franchise.

However, it is not the vampire killer. It is the combat cross — an iron crucifix that has a retractable chain that is reminiscent of Link’s hookshot from Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda” fame, which ends up making it an excellent short-range weapon and an even better long-range tool of death and destruction.

The boss fights are extremely challenging, and the very large monsters have button sequences much like “God of War,” which makes them entertaining. However, If you mess up the sequence, you are not forced to begin the fight again, which is a relief.

As for the basic plot, from what I could gather, either Gabriel has an evil twin or has something dark inside of him, which makes him do bad things when he is asleep. Either way, it makes for a great plot twist.

Overall, I really liked what I was able to play, and because it is a two-disc game, it’s massive, and well worth the money spent.

This game is rated M for blood and gore, nudity, and violence. As the game came out in October, it is relatively new and will cost around $40 through $50.

Rating: A