Mary Shelley's Frankenstein / Bram Stoker's Dracula

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an adventure/fighting hybrid based on the 1994 film of the same name. You play as Frankenstein's monster and begin in the lab, where your creator rejects and banishes you in a dialogue sequence. From there, you must escape the village and try to find meaning in a hostile world. Subsequent levels mirror the general story arc of the film and novel.

The game plays through three distinct modes:

• Exploration Mode takes place inside buildings, and gives you a side-scrolling view of the Monster. Like a standard adventure, you can examine nearby objects and add them to a limited inventory. You use those items to solve puzzles or open up new pathways. Should you encounter a hostile foe in this mode, you will automatically switch to Combat Mode.

• Combat Mode plays and looks like a standard 2-D fighting game. You have buttons to punch, kick, or block, and corresponding D-pad directions that activate different moves. Your goal is to drain your opponent's energy while preserving your own. Winning the fight allows you to continue on.

• Long View Mode is an isometric travel view similar to an RPG. Here, you search for new buildings to enter or navigate mazes (such as a forest).

The game shifts between hand-drawn art and 3-D computer graphics. Video clips from the film also introduce the game, and play at critical plot points.

The package includes a complete CD and a manual for Bram Stoker's Dracula as an added bonus.