In my opinion, PoR is the best one in the series yet.  There is actually some challenge, especially in hard mode.  They rebalanced a lot of things to make the ultimate cheap modes seen in the most recent installments not so cheap, so there is always some skill needed.

The unlockable modes are totally cool.  The Sisters mode is a great use of the touch screen in a castlevania game, even if it does make it completely easy to blow through.

Anyway, it's really a great one, people should check it out.

I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one.

PoR is amazing. I say that after re-beating Symphony of the Night, so I had very high expectations for that game. I wasn't disappointed, even if I was skeptical that it continues the story from "Bloodlines." Was not a big fan of that one

The online co-op is short, but that's my only beef with it. It's still quite a lot of fun, and should be picked up by anyone needing a good game for the DS.