"The best game based on the 1989 masterpiece!"

1989 was the 50th anniversary year for our friend; Batman. And Warner Bros. Pictures decided to celebrate. Helmed by Tim Burton, 1989's BATMAN broke the box office wide open. The Caped Crusader was played excellently by Michael Keaton, and the insane Joker was brought to life, in all his terrifying form, by Jack Nicholson.

Along with the movie came the Video Game adaptations. The Home-Console versions ware excellent in their own ways, but, sitting in the arcades was this little gem. And, being the huge Batman fan I am, needless to say, I spent many hours playing this baby at my local arcade.

Story: 10/10

In the crime-infested Gotham City, there are reports of a ''Six Foot Bat'' torturing and catching criminals. This, of course, has the criminal underworld scared stiff. Meanwhile, crime boss Carl Grissom finds out that his right-hand-man, Jack Naiper, has been having an affair with his mistress. Grissom sets Jack up to be killed by police, during a scheduled break-in at the Axis Chemical Factory.

Batman arrives, and accidentally causes Jack to fall into a vat of acid, which alters Jack's appearance, and mind. Jack now calls himself the Joker, and he goes totally off the deep end, determined to wreak as much havoc on Gotham City as he can.

But the Joker has a problem: Batman.

--The game follows the movie's plot to a 'T'. That's one of the reasons why this game is so excellent; when you stay true to the source material, but do it correctly, you can't lose.

Sound/Music: 10/10

The sounds consist of actual voice clips taken from the movie, such as the Joker's echoing voice in the Cathedral, and the Joker's insults when you die.

Music? The game presents MIDIfied versions of Danny Elfman's awe-inspiring film score! The music is replicated perfectly, and it sounds beautiful! It really enhances the play experience. Try to get the Arcade attendants to turn up the volume for you!

Gameplay: 8/10

This is one of the game's only problem areas. The hit detection is kinda poor, and it's slightly hard to connect a blow. Although it can be annoying, after a few minutes of play, you'll probably become used to it and figure out how to compensate for it. Otherwise, the game controls smoothly enough.

Graphics: 10/10

Amazing. That's all I have to say. While they're probably merely 16-bits, they still do their job. The color application for the graphics are equally as nice. The game uses many vibrant colors, but uses enough so that everything can be colored correctly. Nope, Batman isn't purple!

About the sprites: they're wonderfully detailed! You can't help but laugh when the Joker actually puts on the funny nose glasses! (''You wouldn't hit a man with glasses, huh would 'ya, huh?'') The Batman sprite stands with his cape in his hand, covering himself. Gives him a nice, mysterious look.

The backgrounds are undeniably one of the best parts of the game. Anton Furst's award-winning production design survived the transition from movie to game. The backgrounds compare wonderfully with movie stills.

Gameplay: 10/10

The levels are quite varied. There's a couple of Batmobile levels, in which you control the Batmobile from a first-person perspective. You must shoot up the villains' cars. Levels are based on key scenes from the film. There's also a Batwing level, that's in the same form as the Batmobile levels, and it's very fun. But the Batwing level has an extra challenge: Catch the Smylex Balloons! It's a lot fun!

Overall: 10/10

This game is what all movie-to-game conversions should be like. If you see it in an arcade, go ahead and play it. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/02, Updated 03/28/04