It is definitely less frustrating than Ghosts n' Goblins, or Castlevania 3 where I was constantly getting killed by stairs. Personally I found it to be in the same ballpark as Super GnG, though Actraiser 2 is more forgiving of mistakes. Actually, come to think of it, AR2 has difficulty settings. Looks like I played it on normal (I have yet to finish it incidentally, but I've gotten pretty far).

If you find early Castlevania too frustrating, have you tried Castlevania IV on SNES? It has excellent control and is MUCH easier than the NES games (it's actually too easy, I think, but it's a damn good game anyway).

There is a slightly cut-down version you can play online also, if you want to just get the flavor of it:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/whiteboardwar/creeper-world-3-abraxis

CW 3: Abraxis have 12 original maps, and the engine is not as responsive as the stand alone game. But the mechanics are more or less identical.

Unfortunately I find the SNES ones hard enough but I've honestly not played them much, I prefer the later ones where you have abilities and equipment. I'll play some Actraiser 2 some more though, I didn't play it too much and I only sort of tested it due to how enjoyable the first game was.