Batman: The Movie

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Now's your chance: Batman – The Movie is here. This is Ocean's third foray into Batworld and without doubt the best with Gotham City hoodlums terrorised by our caped hero, the creation of The Joker and a climax in Gotham City cathedral, just like the film.

The five sections hang together well as a game. Each one is tricky and takes some mastering. It is unfortunate that if all lives are lost you have to restart from the chemical factory, but that certainly proves a challenge. It is edge of the seat excitement that grips you solidly. It is addictive, certainly, and though it is also frustrating at times and you could tire of it after a while, Batfans will not be disappointed.

Batman – The Movie is a tremendous game, it follows the plot closely but does not sacrifice any gameplay. The graphics are of a high standard throughout and very well designed. The theme tune contains samples from the film and has a very funky feel to it. A highly playable and entertaining game.

Like the film, I was expecting this longawaited licence to be a bit of a let-down. Thankfully, I was wrong on both counts. With its five varied stages, Batman offers a long-term task, coupled with several playable sub-games. Of the five games, I must confess to preferring the Batmobile and Batwing scenes, but no particular section lets the game down. The graphics are instantly recognisable, although I would have preferred to see them use the dark, moody atmosphere of the film. Still, even without the darkness, Batman still ranks as one of the best movie tie-ins I have seen.

Faster than a speeding Royal! More powerful than Arnie's eyebrows! Able to leap tall buildings in a single-seater jump jet! ...Well, that's enough about me, what of the man in the all-over wetly boot? In this game of the film, T-shirt and key-ring you're the sinister vigilante himself. You're out on a five-level mission to clean up Gotham City – and you're not carrying a broom.

Effective but ever-so-slightly-dated looking movie thing, using the traditional Ocean sub-game formula to better effect than usual. Good stuff.

Without a doubt, the 3D sections are the star attractions. Not only are they the most spectacular, but they also play a lot better than the rest of the game. The theme of the first and final levels has not been exploited to the full. Had they been less frustrating, with a little more variety in the hazards, they would stand up better on their own. As they are, they need the strength of the remaining sub-games to pull them through. I wouldn't accuse Ocean of inadequate playtesting, since I've seen the game revised several times since its conception, but there are a few small points I would have altered, which would have raised the game higher still in my opinion. Nevertheless, Batman is a great entertainment, and although the price is high, non-one could deny you get a pretty big game for your money.

Gegenüber der in POWER PLAY 12/89 besprochenen C 64-Version bietet "Batman - The Movie" auf dem Amiga bessere Grafik, knackigen Sound und an einigen Stellen sogar ein leicht verbessertes Spielprinzip. Die fünf dem Batman-Film nachempfundenen Levels strotzen nicht gerade vor Originalität, stecken aber voller Action.