Batman Forever - SNES, 16/9/95

Put together alongside your actual film, the Batman Forever designers were given access to sets, costume and script details right from the off.

The result is a sort of cross between Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong Country.

You see, it's a beat 'em up with platform aspirations, digitised sprites and computer rendered backdrops.

Does that make you sick?

Naturally enough, Batman Forever allows you to play as the big man himself or his boy sidekick Robust.

They each have a gallery of moves and a selectable arsenal of weapons, from the old bataranga to funny glue guns and force fields.

And yes: here be Two-Face and Riddler.

The game is no simple case of kicking your way to the end - often you have to search for something or activate a series of switches correctly. Yummy.

Acclaim boasts that Batman Forever plays over 60 or so levels, though realistically, many of these "levels" are only a couple of sceens across.

That isn't to do the game a disservice. It is admittedly large, and will last you far longer than your average scrolling beater.

Occasionally, though, it can be too clever for its own good, making it unclear where you're to proceed. The first level stumped us for nine years.

Batman Forever is a pretty enough game. There's plenty of variety in the backdrops, though familiar enemies appear with alarming frequency.

The sprites are occasionally a little scrappy, too. Nowhere near as smooth as Donkey Kong's ginger belly.

The biggest faults with the game lie in a stupidly contradictory manual and special moves which seem to work only when they feel like it.

Bat (but) otherwise it's fine.

Batman Forever - SNES - by Acclaim

Players: 1-2
Graphix: 80%
Sonix: 65%
Gameplay: 79%
Lifespan: 78%
Originality: 63%
Uppers: Nice looks. Big challenge
Downers: Control tends to stick
Overall: 79% - Batman Forthecup