Superheroes, eh? Who would be one? Aside from a bizarre fashion stance that insists brightly coloured Y-fronts are worn outside of trousers, there are all those disappointing spin-off video games designed to tarnish your very good name.

Take Ubisoft's Batman: Rise Of Sin Tzu, for example. This cartoon adventure is so retro in concept, you'd swear you'd been whisked back to the time when Double Dragon ruled the arcades. Bash buttons, pick up weapons, thump bad guy hordes and then scream in dismay as a stray barrel smacks your head. There aren't even any puzzles to crack. This is old-skool 3D beat-'em-up mayhem from start to finish, and feels about as current as a Status Quo album.

Based on the animated Batman TV show, gamers get to don the pantomime garb of the caped crusader himself, or you can dress yourself up as fellow vigilantes Batgirl, Robin and Nightwing. Each character offers a marginally different fighting style, with Batgirl being all about speed and Batman pure jaw-shattering power. The main Story mode pits you against a variety of supernatural villains in a linear trawl through chemical plants, eerie harbours and other such thug-infested environments. Although essentially a single-player effort, the jewel in the crown is the co-operative two-player mode, which further intensifies those Double Dragon-goes-3D comparisons. It's just a shame that playing alongside a chum is more a case of spreading out the torture rather than enjoying a mercurial superhero offering.

As a guide, this game is really a cartoon version of Vivendi's appalling Dark Angel minus the stealth and basic door puzzles, but with a tad more charm. There are numerous fighting manoeuvres to master and unlock, but you can pretty much plough your way through Gotham's seedy corners by hammering the gamepad like it's your new worst enemy. The traditional end-of-level bosses (the shape-shifting Clayface being far and away the most warped and amusing) offer some refreshing variation, but their 'find the weak spot' approach is hardly ground-breaking.

It's hard to be too damning of Rise Of Sin Tzu since it is clearly aimed at a very young market. The visuals, although basic, capture the essence of the TV show, and there are a fair few comic book goodies to unlock too. But unless you've only recently passed the embryonic phase (well, okay, under six then), there is absolutely no reason why indulging in this hackneyed effort would offer more pleasure than a solid bout of either The Hulk or Spider-Man: The Movie. Get those two instead and dish out some real hurt.

1. Looks like the TV show!
2. Two-player story mode

1. Repetitive gameplay
2. Button-bashing galore
3. Samey levels
4. Feels so dated

Power
Recreates the look of the animated series, but it's still plain and basic.

Style
Nicely presented, cartoon beat-'em-up action for the very young. Are you under six?

Immersion
Simplistic, retro fighting will have anyone who's started school bored immediately.

Lifespan
You're joking, right? Every level is virtually identical. There's no longevity here.

Overall Yet another dreary superhero spin-off. This one only picks up points because toddlers might like it. For a bit, that is.