I get the feeling I’m the only gamer who has played a decent Batman game before Arkham Asylum — that being Batman: The Movie on the C64. Lego Batman probably doesn’t count. OK, it was a long time ago, but it proves that they weren’t all bad. Batman: Arkham Asylum isn’t just decent; it’s near perfect, and with Batman Animated series co-creator Paul Dini writing the script, you know the story’s going to be good.

The game’s opening sequence sees Batman returning the Joker to Arkham Asylum following the Clown Prince of Crime’s latest misdeed. Unsurprisingly, Joker’s return doesn’t go very smoothly, and it’s not long before the inmates are running the asylum. You’ll soon discover Joker has plans to create an army of powerful soldiers using Titan, an enhanced form of the venom Bane needs to maintain his super-strength. You’ll face a few of Batman’s foes as bosses during the game, such as Bane and Scarecrow. However, it’s the Blackgate thugs — inmates transferred from Blackgate Penitentiary due to a mysterious fire — who you’ll see most of in this game, and you’re pitted against a few groups soon after Joker makes his escape.

As you’re exploring the island, the camera will hover slightly to the right of our caped crusader, but as soon as combat is initiated, the camera centers and zooms out so you can enjoy fully the best part of the game by a country mile. The controls are relatively simple, and once you get used to the timing of combos, fighting will appear as fluid and effortless as in the Batman cartoons or movies. You’ll start with the basic attack [X button], counter [Y button], evade [hold left stick, double-tap A] and stun [B button]. You’ll know when to counter an enemy when white lines appear over their heads, unless you’re playing on hard mode in which you’ll have to ready when an enemy starts his attack. Using evade, you can roll across the ground to get away from a group of enemies or vault over a single enemy to attack from behind.

You’ll have the opportunity to upgrade your combos by acquiring new skills, including the essential instant takedown. This move instantly incapacitates an enemy regardless of how many times you’ve hit him, but you can only use the move if you have a combo of 8, or 5 if you have the upgrade to reduce this number. You’ll know you can use it when the combo counter turns gold. You will also be able to use the batarang and batclaw in combos, which are very useful for knocking down opponents. It’s in your best interests to use a variety of moves during combos to increase the experience gained as experience is needed for upgrades and, more important, to heal Batman of injuries as there are no health packs in the game.

You’ll come across certain events in the story that require you to use Detective mode, a feature that allows you to pick up traces of DNA or specific particles in the air and follow the trail to your next objective. This mode also allows you to see grates that blend into the background or weak walls, which you can blow away using explosive gel. You can see through walls, too, giving you the advantage over your enemies, and you will be able to determine which enemies are armed with guns. The Riddler will also contact you and challenge you to solve various puzzles throughout Arkham, which is done by simply scanning the correct object. You will also be required to collect Riddler trophies and interview tapes, but not all of these will be accessible until you get the appropriate gadget.

Eventually, your enemies will discover the key/crowbar to open the weapons’ lockers, and we all know Batman isn’t like Superman. He’s better for a start, but he’s also not invincible, and as sturdy as his armor is, it won’t stop a hail of bullets. Cue the second best feature of the game — skulking. Batman is famous for being able to appear from and disappear back into the shadows, and Arkham has a good amount of hiding places, from conveniently place gargoyles amongst the rafters to floor grates and ventilation systems. It’s so much fun popping out from your hiding place to set a trap and watch havoc ensue from atop a stone gargoyle. When you first enter a room full of enemies, there’s a lot of talk from them about how they’re going to be famous for getting the Bat. As you pick them off, they get increasingly nervous, and by the time there’s one or two left, they’re terrified.

Visually the game is an excellent representation of the gothic style in Batman’s universe. The interior environments are dark and dingy and wouldn’t look out of place in a survival horror game. The character designs are great, too — in particular, the new design for Scarecrow, while Batman looks typically dark and imposing as he stalks around Arkham. The audio also adds to the broody atmosphere with the standout feature being the cast. Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin and the magnificent Mark Hamill voice — as they did wonderfully in the animated series — Batman, Harley Quinn and the Joker, respectively. Tom Kane’s Commissioner Gordon and Wally Wingert’s Riddler are also superb, and really, the entire cast does a great job even down to the lowliest thug.

As I’ve said, Batman: Arkham Asylum is not quite perfect. The boss fights, with the exception of the Scarecrow sections, are a disappointment, particularly the final boss. Bane is supposed to be a genius yet is portrayed in the game as a great hulking lug, and the fight with him involves simply evading his charge attack and ripping away the pipes from his storage tank. Also disappointing is the small scene between Harley and Poison Ivy in which the two — who are great friends — seem indifferent to one another. Detective mode is very useful, but it’s too easy to simply leave it active throughout the game. It would have been much better to have Batman unable to act while the mode is active allowing for a bit more strategy in the game.

These are my personal gripes, but it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the game. It will take you between 10 and 15 hours to complete, perhaps longer if you like to take your time and absorb every detail. On completion, you have the option to load your final save and finish the Riddler’s challenge, picking up anything you may have missed. You can also take part in the challenges, all of which should be unlocked now that you’ve finished the game. And, boy, are they a challenge — particularly the fights in which you’ll need to utilize the combo system to the fullest.

Rocksteady Studios have given the impression it really cares about what goes into a Batman game, and even if you’re not a fan of the Dark Knight, there’s a lot to like in here. I can’t recommend this highly enough; the hype is fully deserved as Batman: Arkham Asylum raises the bar significantly for licensed games and action games in general. I have only one request for the sequel: Please, please add an “I’m Batman” button!