Downloaded it and started playing and..... couldn't stop!!! No matter what AVGN syas ('im a big fan of his BTW) I like this game.
The game mechanics work quite well. I like the transition from day to night. I'm also happy with the difficulty level. It's challenging but not as insanely difficult as Castlevania 1 or other games from back then. The absence of bosses is a bit strange, though. However, the atmosphere and music are great. I also like the fact that this is a sort of adventure where you can level up your character and explore a relatively big world. It has some gameplay elements that were later included in games like Symphony of the Night or the GBA Castlevania episodes. Some of the riddles are stupid, I agree with James here but it really doesn't matter that much.

It's a good game.

European version runs at 50 Hz, though....

I've never played Simon's Quest so I guess I'll download it later today. Gates of Thunder is a must have! As for World Heroes - no thank you! If it ran with 60 Hz I would probably get it for completeness' sake......

This is the slowest 50Hz version of any game, ever! I strongly suggest to boykot this until Nintendo realises that they can't go on like this.

"Nintendo has also announced what many people were asking for"

Well, many have have asked for 60 Hz support for European VC games. But they don't care, do they?

As opposed to most people here I quite enjoy the game.It's considerably better than the second one and I haven't come across the collision detection issues mentioned above. Level design and enemy design is better than in part 2. The new playable characters add a nice new touch to the game. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars.

the European versions runs with borders and slow speed. Please let's all contact Nintendo about te 50/60Hz issue!