Since the publication of the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, Count Dracula, né Vlad III Dracul, posthumously known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), has been a popular character in movies, novels, videogames, and other popular culture mediums. More than 200 films have been made that feature Count Dracula, a number second only to Sherlock Holmes, while more than 1,000 novels have been written about Dracula1. At the center of this subculture is Transylvania, the place of myth which has become almost synonymous with vampires.
In videogames, Dracula is perhaps best known for his predominant role as the archvillain of the Castlevania series.
