Roll up! Roll up! For the ultimate in arena violence, take a trip to the Fatman's fighting arena, where only the fittest will survive - if they're extremely lucky! So, if you fancy earning a huge wad of money, get over to The Fight Palace, and you may be one of the few who emerge victorious.

Don't count on it though. Standing between you and the riches offered by the Fatman are eight opponents guaranteed to make your blood run cold (spook!). Lining up to cause your doom are the likes of Edwina, the dude-ette who rips phone books in half for a living, and Guano, the flatulent gargoyle with mace-spray attachments. But even these guys are rookies compared to the real stars of the show. Robochic has inflammable gases (what is this Japanese fixation with breaking wind?) and robotic power-boxing gloves (aaow!).

To combat these thumping goons, you can use your prize winnings to buy extra punching power and health points and secret weapons. Fades make you temporarily invisible, shields make you invulnerable for a couple of seconds and poisonous clouds and swarms of bees can also be launched at your foe.

A two player option has also been included which has all the features of the one player game, apart from a choice of opponents.

What you first plug in Fatman your first thoughts will be "Oh my God! Why have I bought this?" The backdrops, although smoothly scrolling, won't exactly set the art world alight and the sound is rather disappointing.

However, the playability on this game is what sets it apart from the usual beat-'em-up fare. Collecting your prize money and laying into your next opponent with your new extra goodies is really rather good, especially when you use a fade in two player mode - confusion guaranteed.

There's a fair amount of combat moves on offer, and the animation on all of the combatants is arcade quality - I kid you not! However, fun and fast though Fatman is, it is ridiculously overpriced - for die-hard beat-'em-up dudes only.