Batman: The Movie.
Thankfully, as game based on a blockbuster film that actually follows the plot of the story well! I've not played the game for some time now but I hope my memory is good enough to give you a decent review!
You control Batman, and have to battle against Jack Napier, AKA the Joker.
LEVEL 1: Batman hears that Jack Napier is planning to steal the files and records of Axis Chemicals. You have to stop him before he makes good his escape, but have to deal with his many henchmen who shoot guns and throw grenades at you.
Batman: The Movie.
Thankfully, as game based on a blockbuster film that actually follows the plot of the story well! I've not played the game for some time now but I hope my memory is good enough to give you a decent review!
You control Batman, and have to battle against Jack Napier, AKA the Joker.
LEVEL 1: Batman hears that Jack Napier is planning to steal the files and records of Axis Chemicals. You have to stop him before he makes good his escape, but have to deal with his many henchmen who shoot guns and throw grenades at you. Oh, and the leaking gases and chemicals do you no good either.
LEVEL 2: Having dealt with Napier, now The Joker, you have to
make good your escape. But the police are after you too. Get to the Batcave before you run out of fuel, damage the Batmobile or hit a roadblock. The older C64 & Amstrad versions I've played you view from above and I think this is more difficult than the Atari ST and Amiga's view from behind the car. Ingenious idea of using the Batrope to turn round a corner too!
LEVEL 3: You're back at the Batcave, but have little time to find the formula of Smilex, a toxic gas the Joker has created which makes anyone who breathes it in have a permanent smile, like his own. You have a minute to work out the composition, but not only that, the Joker has filled giant balloons with the gas, and attached them to the Gotham Carnival Floats.
LEVEL 4: Piloting the Batwing, you chase the floats and have to sever as many of the ropes holding the balloons to the floats as you fly along, using the wingtips. You have to sever the amount given on the counter, otherwise when they burst, there will be too much smilex in the air of Gotham City....
LEVEL 5: Having dealt with the balloons, you chase the Joker to Gotham Cathedral, who has an escape helicopter to collect him from the top of the spire. As with Level one, you have to avoid the henchmen and this time, spiked and collapsing floors. Only when you deal with the Joker, Gotham City is safe.
All levels, on the many formats I have played this game, have very good music and graphics, the Commodore 64 being the best of the older 8-bit systems. I seem to remember very good character animations too, especially on the Amiga.
The C64's version is distinctively different though from the other formats - the score/lives/energy panel is at the top and not the bottom of the screen as per the others, and the music, although basically the same melodies, is played slightly differently - notes missing and different pitch. The Energy meter is an all time classic - as you lose energy, Batman's face gradually becomes the Jokers.
The only real gripe is the tendency for the game to crash on Level 5 - I noticed this on all the formats I used to own, the worst being the C64 if you hit the spiked floors.
But overall the game is very, very good, and a modern version with all the graphics and sound capabilities of new machines would be fantastic.
My rate 9/10
