GRAPHICS: The graphics are excellent. The sprites are smaller than Batman Returns but their animation is a lot better. It's very cartoon-like, and up to par with the animation of Disney games like The Lion King and Mickey Mania. The backgrounds are very pretty, dark coloured to fit with the theme of the game and with a lot of details. They are not as good as those in Batman Returns, but they are a close second. There is also a Batmobile stage, but unfortunatelly it's not like Top Gear but it reminds me of old Atari 2600 racing games with an overhead view. The graphics here are very disappointing, compared to the high quality of the rest of the game. Why on earth they did not make the Batmobile stage like the one in Batman Returns? Only THEY know...

SOUND: As in Batman Returns, the sound is superb as well. The Batman Theme is still present in the music department, but the rest of the music has a more 'happy' feel compared to the gloom present in Batman Returns. That's a drawback, in my opinion, but the music tracks are fun to listen while playing. The SFX are good and do their job fine. Joker's voice, on the other hand, is stupid.

GAMEPLAY: Simple and fun. It has elements of Beat'em ups but most of the game is platform. Batman can kick and punch his enemies, as well as perform a body slam. There are also a fair amount of weapons to use such the grappling hook, bombs and tear gas. The play control to perform these moves is excellent. There are 8 levels total, and at the end of most levels there is a villain as the boss. You will face classic villains like the Joker, Poison Ivy, The Penguin, Catwoman and Scarecrow. There is also Two-Face, which is the disappointing batmobile stage's boss, and the Riddler, but unfortunately you don't get to fight him face to face as a boss. The difficulty is pretty high, but there is a password feature that makes the game easier. If you want to see the true ending, though, you must finish the game in hard mode where there are no passwords. That's a challenge for you!

   

OVERALL: Batman is a pretty good action game, that would certainly could stand as its own without the license. It has beautiful cartoonish graphics, atmospheric sound and fun gameplay. Certainly one of the better comic book games and one of the few decent Batman games. It's not quite as good as Batman Returns, but if you are a fan of Batman, comic books in general or an action game player, it's worth playing. If you want the best comic book game however, try Spawn for the same system.