Another game in a long line of poorly executed console ports.

Console games get ported to the PC platform for a reason. I am not altogether certain what that reason is. Perhaps it is greed - the quick buck option. Why go all out and create a new game engine, voices, animations and levels when you can take an existing game, change a few jillion lines of code and smack it on a player’s hard drive? Sure, there have been successes, Grand Theft Auto 3 is an example of a well done port, but frankly, its game play was bullet proof to begin with so why "fix" it?

Maybe, against all logic, these games sell a ton of copies so it is financially viable to keep cranking out ports. Whatever the reason, none of them detract you from the fact that Batman: Vengeance is a lackluster game whose main saving grace is its faithful adaptation of the cartoon series from the 90's.

The story starts with Batman rescuing a damsel in distress. This first level serves as a tutorial of sorts that slowly gets you into the game. Once you complete it you are cast in the story which sees you, the caped crusader, framed. Next you are tasked with fighting not only hordes of bad guys but poor camera controls.

The enemies you encounter run from generic thugs to over the top villains like The Joker and Mr. Freeze. Fighting involves mashing the attack button as quickly as possible. You can kick and punch and pull off some great combos. As the game progresses you learn new powers that help to take on the harder opponents. All in all the combat is on the easy side, but how many times do you see Batman get the Smack down WWE style?

The graphics consist of varying shades of grey, blue and black. The world is stark and static, there are very few things to break up the monotony of levels, and no inanimate objects seem to exist with the exception of crates and barrels. To be fair the game is an accurate representation of the cartoon and the graphics work, in this regard, to the games advantage.

There are cut scenes to break up the levels and introduce the story but they seem to have been rendered on someone's 386 at 320 X 200 resolutions then blown up to 640 X 480. They are painful to watch and very poor in quality.

Sounds are very well done. Music and voice-overs are captured from the cartoon. The producers brought in some of the original cast, so you can hear Mark Hammil reprising his role as the Joker. There is also the option of playing the game in glorious Dobly surround sound.

The controls are very console oriented. A game pad becomes a necessity since the keyboard is very difficult to work with. Simply hitting direction buttons won't rotate the caped crusader; instead they will move him exactly where you don't want him to go. If you can mentally transpose a game pad onto the keyboard you may be able to control the character, otherwise slap down $20 and pick up a cheapo game pad. Your fingers will appreciate it.

Most of the game is spent missing jumps, getting lost behind walls and constantly hitting the first person button so the camera control will come back to focus. In other words the camera is about as bright as an unlit torch cast down the well of eternal wailing. Puzzles involve jumping, dashing up and down ladders, and flipping switches like mad.

Batman Vengeance is another game in a long line of poorly done console ports. While the source material provides a rich and sometimes fun gaming experience, the overall game falls short on too many other points. The lack luster gameplay will leave you scratching your head after seeing the Batman cartoon series nearly brought to life on your PC.

The game is entirely too short, and the jumping puzzles seem to have been more difficult simply to extend the life of the game.

Reviewed by Timothy Long, PC Gameworld.