Needless to say, Bram Stoker's rolling on the coffin with his character being reduced to a miserable Castlevania knock-o
Okay, so this is an E-rated game adaptation of the 1992 R-rated film adaptation of the classic novel. Making an E-rated game based on an R-rated movie is an unusual decision. It's like making a T-rated game based on a PG-rated film or a G-rated film or an animated television series rated TV-Y or TV-Y7 or TV-G or TV-PG.
The game is a blatant Castlevania rip-off, and does almost offers nothing to stand out from Castlevania. It also barely follows the movie at all. To name a few inconsistencies, Renfield and Dracula are incredibly tall and Jonathan Harker is a total badass.
The level structure is often confusing, and the method of reaching the goal, finding Van Helsing, and getting a special item only compounds this issue. Additionally, there are enemies everywhere. Some are fairly fast and small and can only be killed with a crouch attack. Platforming is mindless and requires barely any skill at all. There are, however, some hidden areas in most levels where you can find health, weapon items, and extra lives.
The difficulty is very inconsistent. For example, Dracula, the final boss, is pretty much the easiest boss in the entire game. The bosses do require some strategy and skill to defeat, though they are considerably easier in the SNES version.
Speaking of, in the SNES version, your life counter is beakers with a black/brown liquid that go clear when you get hit. This makes some areas, particularly ones with a black background, pretty frustrating, as it's hard to tell how much life you have.
Although the game is bad, it can be ridiculously hilarious. It even has some decent replay value.