"Fun or frustrating? In the end, justice is blind."

To date, there's only way that you can truly become the Man Without Fear. And this game is it. Released as a tie-in with the movie, the game actually is based more directly off of the comics, complete with characters like Stick, the Hand, Echo, the Sewer King and more populating its confines. Despite that fact, the character sprites for Elektra, Bullseye, and Kingpin are based off of their movie incarnations; you can unlock the comic-book version sprites as well, however, if you're a comic purist.

The reviews on this one haven't been very positive, but I took a chance on it and bought it, 'cause I'm too big of a Daredevil fan not to try it out. And how did it work out for me? Well...

GRAPHICS

The graphics in Daredevil get the job done. The backgrounds can range from being very attractive, as in the sewer pipe maze or the docks or the rooftop chase of Elektra, to being average and simply adequate, like when riding atop a series of speeding cars or making your way through Kingpin's penthouse or exploring the elevated and underground portions of the subway. The backgrounds do all contain multiple scrolling planes, which adds a nice touch of depth.

It's the character sprites that stand out. Each character and thug is rendered nicely, which doesn't really come across until you see them moving. Animation is perfect for each character, and it has to be since the character animations play such an important part in the gameplay. Daredevil himself moves with exceptional fluidity, and when you see Bullseye attack for the first time, you'll likely be stunned and very pleased at how beautiful he looks as he completely thrashes your ass.

An interesting finer detail is that, whenever you defeat a villain, the last blow is always accompanied by a comic-book-esque ''SNAP!'' ''POW!'' or ''CRACK!'' appearing over your foe as they crumble at last. It's similar to what Activision did with Spider-Man: The Movie on the GBA, and it's a nice touch.

SOUND

Did you know that MusyX technology, developed originally for the N64 and later GameCube systems, can be applied to the Game Boy Advance to create more elaborate, more beautiful music? Well, it can. And here... it is. Daredevil enjoys some of the catchiest music tracks I've heard on the system. You can clearly recognize the ''instruments'' that are being imitated at all times, whether there's a dark synth beat, a choral chant, or a guitar riff rocking you on through. Seriously, I hope someone remixes some of this stuff into an all-out rock soundtrack, because it's fantastic. And if you need something more than that, well, the grunts and groans and smacks and cracks are all rendered effectively as well.

Sound plays an important role in gameplay as well. You can pick up icons that double your strength or allow you to throw your baton at your enemies for a short time. There's no on-screen indicator for when these abilities run out, so you'll have to listen; a tone for each power-up indicates when that power-up's time has depleted. It's a good way to let the player know what's what without cluttering the screen up, but some people will be frustrating at not being able to tell when their baton-throwing power is almost gone.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay is what makes people either hate or love this time. Each level is seemingly straightforward; you must make your way to the goal, either by defeating or avoiding the opponents in your way.

The fact is, it's not your typical side-scroller; you can't charge in, beat down the bad guys blindly, and call it a day. You have to watch their animations. Sometimes they'll be blocking you. Other times they'll be in the midst of a backswing with a weapon, and you'll have to attack when they're open. It's tricky, and takes some getting used to for those of us who are used to running through our ''run and jump'' games and just plowing through bad guys. But it's ultimately what made me love the game quite a bit; you have to think before you attack anyone. You have to learn the attack styles of every time of minor and major bad guy you encounter, and learn the correct kind of attack for that situation. It can be complex, it can be simple. It can be many things, and you'll have to commit the right patterns and attacks for each sort of henchman to memory in order to survive.

And yes, there are various kinds of attacks you must learn. You have a basic series of punches that ends in an uppercut, but you can also change it up and do a combo that ends with a sweep of your baton. You can also charge in and just use your baton, or simply fly in with a jump-kick and see how far it gets you. There's also a drill-kick that can be executed with the right combination of buttons, and of course there are additional crouching attacks such as a sweep. And you'll have to find what works on who. Daredevil can also crouch and crawl, do a double-jump, and grab onto hanging items and hang from them, even bringing up his legs to avoid lower enemies if he so chooses.

For some, this will breed frustration. Others will get the hang of it quickly. I managed to get the hang of it after about four or five levels, and then I knew how to handle each new enemy from that point out. Because I was so adept at this, I managed to plow through the game's 23 levels in only two days! Because of this, if you're looking for a longer game, you might not find it here... but you will find some notable replay value, for reasons I'll mention later.

By hitting the ''L'' button, you can activate Daredevil's ''radar sense.'' This is both a blessing to the game and a curse. It's great to be able to see in this version of Daredevil's ''sight,'' and with some enemies, it's an aboslutely imperative way to spot them in the blackest darkness or when they conceal themselves in some other method. But there are only two or three such enemies/bosses to worry about. For the most part, this ''radar sense'' is used to help you find hidden icons and powerups. This means that it isn't an imperative part of basic gameplay, so in that way, this is a bad thing. But it IS an imperative way to make the game's replay value extend.

You see, the game has a number of unlockable features. Biographies of the characters, images from the comics, comic book covers, still images from the movie, animated montages of images, alternate costumes (including the ability to put Daredevil in his yellow-and-brown suit!) and a level select. The only way to unlock these is to locate ''DD'' icons. A number of them are hidden in every level, and that number ranges from 2 to 25!

The game starts off with extremely brief levels, and as you defeat your first boss, you'll start to see a change. The levels will get progressively longer, and after the second boss, it'll take you up to 15 minutes to complete each individual level! This can be frustrating, since dying sends you back to the beginning of each stage, but it's never too annoying that you feel like throwing in the towel. The fact that each ''boss'' is a stage unto themselves helps greatly here.

The varying level design is a mixed bag. Some levels, like the second stage and third stages in the sewers or the final stage on the construction site, are huge and detailed, with multiple planes, elaborate climbing structures that require you to jump up and ''grab'' onto a hook and then leap onto another, crawlspaces that lead you into narrow tunnels and more. It's these levels that require detailed exploration that are, by far, the most fun.

There's also some middle-ground levels, like the first two stages in the construction site, the first and third stages in the subway or the stage where you must leap across speeding cars. These stages are mostly linear, but contain unexpected hazards, occasional climbing and jumping, occasional multi-plane gameplay and the like. They're fun, too, but less so.

Sadly, there's a third set of levels that aren't that fun. They're just bland, left-to-right, completely flat and uninspired designs that simply force you to go through a series of enemies, either by defeating them or avoiding them. Design is such that it's usually impossible to avoid very many of them, so this does extend the life of these levels. But they're not very interesting. It's up to the gameplay/fighting style of the game to hold your interest here... and again, you either like it or you don't. I definitely did.

STORY/IMMERSION

When recreating a world from a comic book or any other medium, there is always the question of how well that world is captured. I must say that the Encore team did a great job capturing the Daredevil comic-book universe (certainly more than the movie universe). The dialogue the characters have is often clever, especially when it's coming from Daredevil or Bullseye. Characters behave perfectly for their backgrounds (even Elektra, who seems a little out of character at first, has a convincing story behind her actions), and we even get to see Matt and Foggy in the office in a few scenes while the story develops. Echo's little scheme is especially memorable.

There are a few problems, though. Where did Elektra suddenly get lackeys? How does someone like the Kingpin make announcements to the press, if he's not doing it as Fisk?

The tale told in Daredevil concerns a plot by the Kingpin; he tells the press that crime is too severe in New York, and he is going to pay Daredevil to take down certain criminals. Naturally, these criminals choose to take down Daredevil first, and some of his own friends believe he's become a betrayer as well. Kingpin's plan is that, even if his enemy survives this onslaught, other opponents of his will be defeated by the Man Without Fear in the process. The situation is seemingly win-win.

FINAL VERDICT

Daredevil is a game I'd recommend to people who want a new grand of side-scrolling beat-'em-up, or for those who are fans of the character. For others, you should give it a rent and try it out first, because the gameplay style is one that players either hate or love. Me, I loved the complexity of fighting the bad guys, learning their weaknesses, and having to execute a large variety of moves on different opponents. For this reason, the pluses on this game far outweigh the minuses for me, and I have to say that I loved it.

It's the fighting complexity, along with the way that Encore managed to capture Daredevil's universe and the fantastic tunes that kept me engrossed in this game more than anything else. I really loved it while it lasted, but it's definitely not for everybody and is not recommended to those who only enjoy more typical sidescrollers. Give it a look first and see if it's for you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/03, Updated 05/12/03