A good game worth checking out if you're a die-hard Castlevania fan.
The game itself is a remake of the original Castlevania on the NES and MSX. It's not the first remake though-Super Castlevania IV on the SNES is. The game is longer than the original Castlevania, which only had six bosses compared to this game's eight bosses, yet Super Castlevania IV had more than that.
Moving on, the graphics are great for it's time, showing off the capabilities of the Sharp X68000, with the graphics better than those seen in Super Castlevania IV. The arranged version of the game has some redesigned graphics, such as Simon's sprite, but there are hardly any changes graphics-wise to be found in the arranged version.
In terms of difficulty, Akumajou Dracula X68000 is very hard indeed. Unlike SC IV, Simon cannot whip in all directions, adding to the challenge of the game. Enemies deal more damage in later levels, and the variety of enemies adds to the challenge and unpredictability of the game. Everytime you beat the game, the game actually gets harder, which is a pretty cool addition that'll challenge you whenever you feel like you've bested the game. The jumping is much better than in the original NES version, meaning that you'll suffer less cheap deaths caused by unintentionally jumping into a pit/water. However, all the subweapons from the NES original are here to help you out (cross, holy water, dagger etc), along with a new one-albeit rare to find. Should you find the laurel (usually dropped by a dead enemy), you'll be able to restore some of your health for ten hearts. The bosses get harder and harder as the game goes on, yet the Level 3 boss was way too easy. Dracula, on the other hand, is more challenging than he was on the NES version, with new attacks added for him to use. The arranged version of the game is much easier, with the choice of a difficulty (Easy/Normal/Hard) available, with enemies dealing less damage and less enemies on the screen. If you're struggling to make it through the original X68000 version, give the arranged mode a try to improve yourself.
The music is great to listen to, mainly on the X68000 version-which suits the stages well, especially the final stage theme, which pumps you up for the final battle with Dracula. On the other hand, the arranged version uses varying tracks, some which don't suit the stages they are in. The techno version of Vampire Killer in Stage 1 may get your blood pumping, but in all honesty it doesn't suit the dark scenery of the entrance and battling zombies.
Completing the game (arranged version) once unlocks an interview with Igarashi Koji, alongside artwork done by Kojima Ayami (mainly artwork for Symphony of the Night). The fact that you unlock everything by completing the game once doesn't add much in terms of replayability, sadly, but being able to play the time trial mode enables you to see how fast you can beat any stage of the game, which is good to test your abilities in the game and best your times.
Overall, even though this game is no Symphony of the Night, it's still a good game to pick up and play for true fans of the Castlevania series, but definitely not for your average casual gamer.