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Commodore Format
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Publisher: The Hit Squad
Machine: Commodore 64/128
Published in Commodore Format #14
Batman: The Movie (The Hit Squad)
Have I ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Well, frankly no. But, as you can see, I did have a bit of a run in with the Reverend this month. [Did I tell you the one about the Priest and the Dark Knight Detective? - Ed]
Well, the film itself was a bit of a stonker, wasn't it? No? Oh well, whether you liked it or hated it, it was gagging to be converted into a computer game, so Ocean (who else?) did, and rather successfully at that.
It's standard Ocean stuff, platform beat-'em-up, drive aroundy bit, more platform beat-'em-up. It's obviously a formula that works 'cos they've just used it for the umpteenth time in Terminator 2.
![Batman The Movie](/ills_small/c64/ocean/rom_carts/Batman-The-Movie-002.gif)
The first level sees our rubber-clad hero creaking around the Axis chemical plant in search of Jack Napier. There are lots of nooks and crannies in the maze of platforms that can only be reached by swinging around on your bat rope. Care must be taken though; plummeting too far kills you outright.
There are also thugs and security guards who shoot at you. When you have found and shot Jack, he falls into a vat of chemicals and is known from here on in as The Joker. The graphics are great with gorgeous backdrops in various shades of blue and a stunning hi-res Batman sprite.
By the time you reach level two, the bat freak has traded his legs in for a Batmobile. Well, when I say 'traded', I don't mean he's literally given his legs to the local Batmobile specialist in exchange for a car [You're getting tedious again Roger - Ed]. Now you must travel through the streets avoiding The Joker's hoodlums and police alike. You can also use the grappling hook to get round corners at speed (just like in the film).
![Batman The Movie](/ills_small/c64/ocean/rom_carts/Batman-The-Movie-003.gif)
But good grief! The Joker has now gone and put poisonous substances in everyday household products. So in level three you have to complete a puzzle game in which you try and work out which products have been tampered with on your Bat Computer in the Bat Cave.
Level four is another drivey bit with more hazards but succeed here and you can brace yourself for the final showdown with the Joker on the roof of Gotham's gothic Cathedral.
The game follows the film very closely in both plot and looks. The gameplay too is a bit special, although the platform levels suffer from too much similarity. There are so many games around like this these days that to give it a Corker would be a bit of a joke.
Having said that, Batman is such a lark that the joke would be on you if you missed it at this price. [But don't get carried away like some people we could mention - Ed].
Frame Rate
This is great stuff. The graphics are spinky, sprites are spanky and gameplay is sponky. (Crap words courtesy of Ollie!)