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It seems like only yesterday that I was standing in the fifteen mile queue at my local flea pit waiting to see Michael Keaton's controversial portrayal of Batman and Kim Basenger's, well, er portrayal! And now the hype has gone and a little black box flops depressingly through the Crew letter box and clunks nonchalantly to the bedraggled door mat.

So what's left over when all the glitter's gone? Well the game is certainly above average in the presentation stakes. A nice play area with unobtrusive score boards and a life meter that slowly turns from Batman's face into the Joker's as your energy falls off. Large detailed sprites almost cartoon like in appearance and an assortment of different scenarios.

The first section is a platform shoot 'em up allowing you to use the Batarang to swing from shelf to shelf. It's all against the clock and all the stages are riddled with the Joker's henchmen ready to take your life away. Other stages include a high speed chase in the Batmobile, a puzzle section and cathedral platform action.

There's a lot of mileage still left in this game and it has already sold in huge quantities when it first came out.

Anyone who's new to the game will find it hdrd going at first, but don't be put off. Where as it's not as thrilling as the box would have you believe Batman still holds his licensed head up high long after the hype has gone. And you can take it from me, it's not the last we've heard of the Caped Crusader!

Label: Ocean Memory: 48K/128K Price: £3.99 Tape, £7.99 Disk Reviewer: Steve Keen

Very nice graphic and some thoughtful sounds. Batman is slightly a lethargic mover and doesn't always duck when it's in his best interests to do so, but a solid buy nonetheless.