Previous Next

Sega City One has been sub-divided into six levels, each of which is a complete mission for the most famous. Judge of all, in his new game from Virgin/Mastertronic. In The League Of Fatties, Dredd has to fight his way through a Fattie rampage, looking for four food dispensers which fuel their frenzy. Then Dredd can do his best to make a sharp exit before it's too late.

This depends on how the crime rate is doing. The longer a mission takes to complete, the higher the crime rate rises. If it gets too high, JD gets kicked out of the law department. The crime rate continues to give Dredd a problem throughout the game.

At the end of each level, there's a bonus section. On level one, this involves a food convoy being attacked by Fatties. Dredd has to reach the front before the convoy reaches its destination and the Fatties get it.

In level two, a mad prof who lives at the top of Charles Darwin block has messed up an experiment in evolution and the whole building is swarming with prehistoric creatures. Dredd has to stop the monsters spreading. The bonus level sends JD info the prof's lab. He must fight his way through it and arrest Fribb. By the way, when he shoots an amoeba, it spits into two.

Level three is a scrap in an aqua-station against Sov agents who are trying to poison the city's water supply. In level four, leader of the Sovs, Orlok, tries to take over the weather station. Level five is a two-block outbreak of blockmania and, in level six, Dredd gets to take on the Dark Judges.

Dredd can use his Lawmaster bike but the crime rate rises very quickly while he's on it. The space bar toggles Dredd's bike and a function key toggles weapons. He's got three of these: standard bullets, a high-powered laser (capable of piercing through a whole line of perps) and missiles. If Dredd takes too much of a battering, it off to the hospital with him. If this happens a few times, the crime rate escalates out of control and it's game over.

Sprites, from Dredd himself to Fatties, Sovs and the rest, have been well taken care of. The game's presentation is on form as well. And the design of the six levels is every 2000AD reader's dream.

The gameplay is atrocious. The crime rate simply accelerates too rapidly. Even when pegging it over the shortest possible route, Dredd sometimes comes a cropper. Given that you only have one life and that, only on completion of a level is any score awarded, this leads to incredible frustration.

The game even comes with maps for each main level, showing you exactly where to go. You'll need them. Judge Dredd is guilty of gross unplayability.

1. Only one life per game.
2. Crime rate rises too quickly too soon, regardless of how well you fight it.
3. Daft scoring system means you're sent back to the beginning too often.
4. Takes far too long to load, has trouble finding other levels on tape and crashes occasionally.
5. It's too frustrating to have much in the way of playability.

1. Six 2000AD style crimes for Dredd to deal with.
2. Cartoon style 'tween game sequences.
3. Lovely sprites and background graphics.
4. Good presentation (i.e. useful maps packaged with the game)
5. Well designed platform levels.
6. Plenty of action!