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This is programming of the highest order on any machine - on the Joyce it's nothing short of miraculous. To rub salt in the wound, Ocean managed to sneak it out before the other, less spectacular offerings appeared. Batman and his ilk are termed "arcade adventures" which means there's adventure game problem solving plus physical tests. More specifically it's in the Ultimate style, but all that deceptively definitive term indicates is that you have a slightly raised, overhead view of the rooms that comprise the Batcave.

Robin has been captured and the bits of the Bateraft are scattered around our hero's subterranean lair.

Before he can fly off and rescue the Boy Wonder Batman has to reassemble his jalopy, though even before that he has to locate four vital pieces of equipment.

The Batcave is a hostile place. It's full of roaming monsters and even some walls result in instant loss of Bat-life on contact. Luckily all the pests follow set movement patterns so it's possible to avoid them with planning. Other problems include conveyor belts and apparently solid platforms that crumble when you step on to them. It's enough to make a Batman hang upside down and go back to sleep.

For the experienced gamer, Batman is one of the year's finest releases. With its vast number of rooms - which make mapping a must, and increasingly ingenious problems, it will take ages to solve.

It's written with just the right blend of humour and contains some clever touches, like the reincarnation stones that let you pick up a game after your last life is lost. The keys are also redefinable which is vital because the default controls are awful.

For a Joyce owner looking for that brief respite from Locoscript it may be too much though. You wouldn't expect to become a fully fledged superhero overnight, would you?

This is a brilliant game, but it may be just too brilliant for the newcomer to the delights of computer gaming!