OVERALL RATING		3.0
Presentation		3.0
Control		3.0
Gameplay		2.5
Fun factor		3.0
User Rating		4.5

Of the many fantastic creatures found in ancient myth, the Dragon has to be one of the most revered. Strikingly fierce and powerful, it would be quite a sight to behold, and even more so, to command. But since they don??™t exist, only video games can give us a taste as to what that would be like. Along those lines, comes Drakengard.

Based on the PlayStation 2 title of the same name, Drakengard for mobile is a fantasy adventure game that puts you in the role of Caim and his befriended dragon in their fight against the Empire. (Not to be confused with the Empire in Star Wars.) It features six stages, each divided into two types of action sequences. One sequence puts you in control of a sword-wielding Caim as he thrashes the Empire??™s army in hand-to-hand combat, while the second sequence has you controlling the dragon in flight, as the game becomes a third-person shooter. Sprinkled in the game are also RPG elements that allow increases in player experience, magic and health levels.

During the sword-wielding stages, Caim has a number of attacks as well as blocking and jumping at his disposal. Using rapid attacks will unleash a finishing blow. This move sends out a wave in two directions to damage your foes. By using this move, Magic points increase. Collect enough magic points and Caim can summon his dragon to eliminate all the enemies on-screen. However, these dragon ???smart-bombs??? can??™t be used during ground-based boss battles, which is a shame since it seems this is where you need them most.

Enemies in Drakengard are somewhat mechanic and each with a specific type of attack. And though they approach in hordes, you can handle more than one at a time. However, as the game proceeds, even though your health increases, their damage becomes more powerful and difficult to stop, actually making it easier for you to lose a life. This makes it imperative to use the finishing blow. The problem with this is that all technique in playing the game is lost, relegating you to button mashing to unleash the blow before the enemies reach you. (Why not just let me use unlimited dragon attacks and make their elimination that much quicker?)

Fighting technique aside, Drakengard is nice looking game. Movement is a little jerky during the Caim sequences, but characters and backgrounds are well illustrated. The flying sequences are done exceptionally well with controls moving the dragon fluidly and capturing a nice shooting experience. Surprisingly, audio is only used at the beginning of the game and nowhere else. Not even as sound effects (unless you consider the beeping of the number pad when pressing buttons).

Drakengard is a nice mixture of shooting and hack-and-slash action. The levels are short but the difficulty, as it increases, keeps you giving it that ???old college try???. Aside from unlocking hints and tips for the PlayStation 2 version (if you still have it lying around somewhere), you can also upload your high score for everyone to check out. If you enjoyed the console version, you may want to take a look at this one in order to round out your experience.