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Just what do you do if you're born hideously deformed and disowned at birth? Do you die in the freezing cold or perhaps get taken in by a kindly family, or do you loiter in the sewers of Gotham City and plot a terrible vengeance against the world. The Penguin (so called because of his penguin-like deformities) falls into the latter category. His idea of revenge involves kidnapping the first both children of Gotham and killing them. Hurrah. Aiding his destructive rampage is Catwoman, a mysterious female who enjoys dressing up in tight clothes and wielding a whip. Ooooh!

The only man psychotic enough to stop the carnage is Batman - a mysterious individual who enjoys beating up murderous criminals (which is just as well really, isn't it?).

Armed with his assortment of bat-toys, including his awesome Batmobile, Batski and topper utility belt, he's a force to reckoned with.

Batman Returns is split into two distinct sections. There's a mega driving section, where Bats drives around shooting people with his bat-cannon or bat-missiles as well as a platform section - which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Megadrive version of Batman Returns... Hmmm, intriguing.

Translated from the megabucks movie, this game incorporates the Megadrive version and adds a driving section.

Drive along the roads, reach the platform bit and beat up the Penguin's minions. Both sections are rather unoriginal and play very similarly to other games of the genre.

The driving section uses the Mega-CD's equivalent to the Super NES' Mode 7. A special sprite scaling chip containing the Mega-CD's custom ASIC graphics chip enables screens to zoom in and out very smoothly and rotate too! This is seen in the intro screen where the action zooms in on the Batmobile. The scene then cuts to a view of Batman at the wheel. Custom sprite rotation's used to show Bats turning the steering wheel.

Ever played Roadblasters in the arcades? Well, the driving section of Batman Returns is very similar. Burn up the roadways and blast the Penguin's evil henchmen off the road! A quota of meanies need to be blown up within a strict time limit in order to progress.

Every third level brings along a road-based boss to destroy! These enormous vehicles usually need around 30 to 50 hits before they blow up. There's also that pesky time limit to consider as well. Should your time start to run out, it's tempting to shoot off your homing missiles and hope for the best! This is not the answer as sometimes precise shooting is required in order to defeat the boss.

Looks familiar? Well, the platform section of Batman Returns is much the same as the cartridge game reviewed in the Christmas issue of Mean Machines. However, it has been tweaked and is a lot smoother and has far superior sound. Some fabby CD soundtracks back the proceedings as Batman fights his way through the Penguin's hordes and does battle with evil bosses!

There are plenty of boss-related characters for Batman to take on in Batman Returns. Of course, the likes of the Penguin and Catwoman make an appearance, but there are plenty more waiting in the wings, including a massive muscleman as well as some possessed statues that throw cogs and breathe fire at Batman!

Pressing Start brings up the infamous Batman Utility Belt! Using this special waist-worn item, Bats is able to select four different types of batarang for use against the Penguin's fiendish punks.

Look out for special robot bats that zoom in on our hero's enemies. Also included in the batarang line-up are homing batarangs and bombs! A special grappling hook enables Batman to take out meanies without using any other weapon. Batman's default weapon is the ordinary batarang. Loads are there for the wasting, but they have no special powers.

The Batmobile is a tough piece of automobile manufacture for sure! Built into the bat-chassis are two formidable weapons. The basic cannon fires disc-shaped projectiles which cause a fair amount of damage and there are also special bat-icons to collect which endow Bruce Wayne's motor with some super homing missiles!

Even the options creen oozes class! Select Options from the title screen and you're granted access to the Bat Computer! This allows you to change the number of lives available, the difficulty level or the controls. Even Batman's very own finger makes a special appearance!

The time limits for disposing of the Penguin's meanies are very tough indeed. If you're having problems, make use of this mini-tipette! Instead of blasting them, use the turbo to draw level with the offending meanie then ram him off the road! Should he hit a roadside obstacle, he's history! Hurrah! Roadside obstacles are actually useful in this game!

Ooooooh this game is so skillful, I want to stop doing this and go back for another go now! Everything about the game is utterly fab. The graphics capture the mood of the films perfectly, with dark moody graphics and fan animation.

The sound is great! The CD soundtracks are super, with upbeat sonics as well as atmospheric stuff like the film's. Even the option screen is great! The platform section is pretty good, much improved from the Megadrive Batman Returns, but it is the driving section that's going to be winning all the awards!

It is arcade quality, with super-smooth sprite-scaling that puts Super NES Mode 7 to shame. In fact, the effect is very similar to the fab Sega 3D coin-ops, like OutRun or Super Monaco GP. The game is tough too.

The training is over quite quickly, but normal is exceptionally tough. However, the awesome graphics and sound keep on luring you back for more! This is a showpiece game for the Mega-CD. Buy it!

With the platform sections of this game refined slightly for better playability and the spectacular driving sections also included, the CD version of Batman Returns is amazing! Which isn't to say that it's without fault, but it is a massive improvement over the basic cartridge version.

This looks like the beginning of some CD/cartridge snobbery for sure when all the best bits are reserved for CD only. Another great feature that the CD has afforded this version is the classy presentation. Even the options screen is laid out like Bruce Wayne's computer terminal and is only one nice touch of many.

The slow, slightly laborious nature of the platform sections is still there but the smoother gameplay makes this fault more forgivable now. Taking the wheel of the Batmobile is where the excitement's at though!

It's fast, it's scary and incredibly tough! So far, this is one of the best examples of the Mega-CD's sprite scaling abilities! On the whole this is an outstanding game, so look out for it!

Presentation 88%
P. Pretty awesome front end - even the options screen is fab! The intro screens are quite good as well...
N. Presentation on the platform level is a trifle on the sad side.

Graphics 93%
P. Fabulous. The driving section features some awesome 3D sections, with exceptional definition on the sprites and backdrops. The platform level has some great, atmospheric backgrounds and characters too!

Sound 91%
P. The CD abilities of the Mega-CD are put to great use, with some fabby music accompanying the action and some great explosion noises for the driving section!

Playability 92%
P. Super. Batman Returns is one of the most addictive games on the Mega-CD, with an arcade-quality driving section and an above-average platform game.

Lastability 89%
P. The Training level is over quickly, but doesn't show you all of the levels. The difficulty in Normal mode is very well pitched, making for hours of top notch play.

Overall 90%
Finally we're starting to see some of what the Mega-CD can do! Batman Returns is literally two games in one package and ranks as one of the best Mega-CD titles money can buy.