Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
LEGO and Batman are two words you usually don't think would sit next to each other but lo and behold, they do. After the towering success of the LEGO Star Wars video games, the LEGO franchise, safely in the hands of Traveler's Tales, has expanded to Indiana Jones and now Batman. The Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder take to the detailed streets of Gotham for an adventure that will have good triumph evil once again.

What's Hot
The game is made with virtual blocks of LEGOs and, as you can imagine, it isn't to be taken really seriously. Using slapstick humor, the developers obviously had fun taking a lighthearted approach to the noir comic book source. Watching the surprisingly nimble LEGO characters move around will bring a smile to your face even at moments where the game isn't trying to. For gamers or Bat-maniacs that can remember the campy live-action TV show, Batman brings that same combination of happy-go-lucky good guys and comically mischievous bad guys and relishes every silly moment of the Dynamic Duo's capers.



Playing in pairs is where you'll get the most enjoyment out of Batman. Because Robin tags along every mission, the game feels more complete with another human manning the second player slot. Romping around through the streets of Gotham City and discovering hidden secrets will have players searching high and low through each level. Even the villains work in pairs for their side of the story, which considerably extends the lasting appeal beyond the standard unlockables.

What separates Batman from the other LEGO titles is the chance to take up a nefarious cause and break out of Arkham Asylum. With the cast of infamous villains (and some lesser known ones) you assume their roles and try and take Gotham City for all it is worth. To get the flip side of the equation is an unusual treat in a video game, let alone a LEGO game. Like Batman and Robin, villains team up and complete levels together. If you are in the mood for co-op play, expect the same level of fun as playing as the good guys.

What's Not
The game is geared towards younger kids, but it is well designed so it appeals to all gamers. The side effect of that is the game is a combat cakewalk. You'll encounter little difficulty fighting through mobs of thugs. If you enjoy a good atmosphere and mindless action, this won't bother you but gamers looking for more of a challenge will be disappointed.



While combat is easy, some of the level design could have used polish. It isn't remotely obvious to figure out what to do next, at times. Instead of using cleaver tricks to help you discover where to go next, you'll find that breaking all the items on screen will yield better results, if not repetitive.

The gameplay tends to focus too heavily wearing specialized suits to accomplish equally specialized tasks. For instance, Batman will need to get in a glider suit to fly over a gap and push a lever so Robin can cross. After that scenario, Batman will have to change suits and wield a sonic device that can only break glass. The constantly changing roles of the characters can annoy and confuse players.

Final Word
Batman seems to fill void left by games like Double Dragon and Battle Toads. Not only does the beat-em-up nature of the game provide countless hours of fun, it does it in a unique style that only LEGOs can achieve. Playing co-op is the sure fire way to go if you want to really experience the very best of LEGO Batman. While it doesn't carry a dark tone, like the recently released movie, the campy slapstick is befitting of the LEGO name and will put a smile on your face.