Game On: Castlevania **1/2, Conquest of the Americas ** 1/2

Simon Belmont is one of the characters in Castlevania: Harmony of Dispair. Enlarge

I must admit that I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to the Castlevania franchise. When I heard that Harmony of Despair, an Xbox Live Arcade game, was going to be available and feature co-op play, I was sure that sacrilege had infected one of my favorite franchises.

Surprisingly, Harmony of Despair handles the co-op gameplay quite well. There are five characters from previous games to choose from and they all have their perks and foibles, so pairing up characters is all about blending styles. You can create parties of up to six players, so soon enough you can have quite the walloping crew laying waste to castles.

But no matter whether your party is small or large, the castles and creatures within are not going to make this easy for you. You will die more times than you care to imagine, and you soon realize it's part of the experience. Be prepared for a lot of trial and error - but know that it's intentional and not just a cause for banging your head against a wall.

Those who have played the more recent Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS will be quite familiar with the castle layouts. But, whether you have seen them or not does not take away from the lack of detail and the overly simplistic visual style that looks very dated. The music doesn't deliver at times, either. It's all metal and thrashing guitars. This just seems bizarre when playing a game where you're fighting Frankenstein and other ghoulish monsters.

Certainly there are expectations one must consider when deciding on an Xbox Live Arcade game. It's not going to be Gears of War, and it's not supposed to be, either. I had higher hopes for a franchise I grew up loving, but maybe the mystique is wearing off. It might be time for a more full-fledged Castlevania release to remind me of its former greatness.

The goal here is pretty clearly stated in the title.

You have 150 years to establish trade routes and military dominance in the New World. Doing so is frustrating at times, and enjoyable at other times. There are seven European nations to choose from, which shows that the developers were at least aiming at a pseudo-historical framework to start with.

Events progress steadily from building up your colonies along the shores to creating exports and a naval presence for defense. The game's biggest obstacle is its learning curve. You have some serious micromanaging to do in Commander, and having a clear grasp on every detail is essential lest the populace revolts.

Probably the biggest difference between this and other colonization-themed games is the heavy hand your advisers play. In most other strategy games, advisers are there to help teach you and guide you through the gameplay. In Commander they are nasty buggers whose happiness directly equates to your success. Each of the four (military, religion, law, and trade) constantly bombards you with missions.

Conquest of the Americas is not the all-encompassing fare that you get from a Sid Meier Civilization type of experience, but if strategy buffs are looking for a challenge, this could fit the bill.