Batman: The Caped Crusader

It's an ok little Aardvark with a nice comic book style. A little too hard with too many enemies on screen and very little hand holding, especially the Penguin level. But, two big-ish games with puzzles aplenty will keep you occupied for quite a while.

Until Arkham Asylum, this was the best Batman game there was. There, I said it.

I rate this game rather low (6) for me, especially given that it’s a Batman game. The graphics are decent, the sound is okay (if not a tad annoying at times).
But what really hurts it in my view is two things that I find essential; controls and gameplay.
The controls are beyond lacking they actually fall into the frustrating category quite often. And the gameplay is, well, tedious comes to mind.
You spend most of the game trying to figure out exactly what you need to do, all while repeating the same frustrating fights with lousy controls against the same bland enemies. Not as fun as a Batman game should be.

The first of Oceans rather good licensed Batman games.
Graphics, sound and arcade adventure gameplay were all of a very high standard.
Loved the windowing system which was used to great effect to reinforce the comic-book atmosphere.
The puzzles were logical and very well implemented alongside the exploration and fighting elements.
A very good release from Ocean.
A strong 8 (nearly a 9) out of 10.

One of my favorites, I love the presentation and graphics. Gameplay and fighting are not quite as good, but overall this is a great game, and has great music.

Gameplay Video Here:
youtube.com/watch?v=mLBEylc20vk

Loved this game as a kid. However as with a lot of games, when looking back I never really got far and didn't really know what to do. You were also constantly taking hits on most of the screens from titchy little enemies.

Why does Batman wear underwear outside his suit?
How can he do backflips & roundhouse kicks with a Cape?
In the movies he wears eye make-up! Why?
Where is Gotham city?
Why has he KILLED people in the comics and movies?

This was bloody frustrating beyond belief and the puzzles never made much sense to me! Not bad GFX however cracking loading screen too.

Theme tune did my head in

I talked to Zach Townsend a while ago, who said he didn't work on this game. Today, after a discussion with several ex-Ocean programmers, we have determined that it was actually coded by Robert W. Tinman. Interesting to note!

Interesting comic book layout for the screen change. Challenging games with cartoon graphics, terrific loading screens (and of course the awesome Ocean loader music)

This was one of the first games I had for my C64 back in 1991. I always found this game intriguing yet very irritating too.

I am clueless with this game to this day. I think it would have been a little easier to accomplish tasks if there wasn't soo many damn enemies buzzing around everywhere! 4/5

By the time I got to this game on the c64, the lack of explanations in the manual (purchased it) and tedious trial and error required to know what you were supposed to do was just too much to overcome. I could recognize this as a good game, but I always died before I could really get into actually playing it. Too hard, no internet with hints.... Kinda average in the end.

My tape version did not have a loading picture, as it used Bleepload.

Both Batman games for C64 deserve attention. I liked this one because of the gameplay and the sense of adventure on it.
Someone could consider it boring.. There are two different stories/missions to complete. I liked a lot the cartoonistic graphics and the scenarios, I spent more time on it than on Batman The Movie.

Thats genious in one load... The overlay is just awesome!

Back when I was playing a hand-me-down Commodore 128, this was my favourite game, though I longed for the Amiga version pictured on the back of the box. Now that I can emulate them both, I see that the gameplay is in many ways better on C64. I love kicking thugs off the roof, and its nice that Batman moves faster in this version. Also, big thanks to the C64 programmers for slipping Riddler and Catwoman into their version.

I think ocean could have done somethin betta here I think

Just finished this after tearing my hair out 'cause of the Joker plot... Great game, a real brain teaser!!! 10/10

Far more deserving of the of its high score than the movie tie-in version.
great atmosphere and lots of fun.

This was the first C64 game I ever played as I got it with the Blaze out pack. Its a fantastic game that still stands well today, although I never managed to finish the Joker level and could only get 99% on the Penguin level.

This has got to be one of my most favourite of the C64 games.
I actually completed this the ending was a bit dull but good endings wern't really around in them days lol
Very hard game make sure you collect all food to keep your health up if you want to succeed. Again like Bombjack this should have scored higher. Im off to have another go at completting it

The only thing that bothered me in this game was that Batman looked like some kid dressed up as him for Halloween.

Brilliant arcade adventure with inventive presentation and some good puzzles. Bold, detailed and colourful graphics create a perfect comic book atmosphere. Only repetitive enemies who won't perish hamper otherwise solid gameplay. Ingenious game the kind of which were only possible during the golden years of gaming...

I loved this game!

I got it as a Christmas gift from my mom in 1989.

The in-game music is perhaps the most memorable part of the game for me. I used to load the game up just to listen to tune itself!

The graphics and animation were great as well.

The only problems I had with Batman were the repetitive enemies and the fact that your energy went down even when you weren't being hit.

Other than that, this game is one of my favs for the Commodore!!!

If I could find a walkthrough somewhere then I could posiibly enjoy the game... Why did it tilt when I tried the Slot machine and got three similar pictures? (I used a trainer, has this got something to do with it?)

I agree with Maff's comments (among others), this game has an atmosphere of his own, both for its comic strips system and for its fabulous moody soundtrack (one of the best on the C64, and there are many). The beat'em up part could've been better, some puzzles aren't brilliant and the slot machine thing in the Joker was supremely annoying, but on the whole this is one of the very best arcade adventures on the commie, and I truly love it to this day.

It's amazing that this game is so rarely mentioned, as it's one of the most distinctive on the C64. It's a pretty bog standard aardvark/beat 'em up, but the presentation is absolutely amazing, with the game world being represented as a series of comic book panels which light up respectively when Batman enters them. The effect is extremely well done and completely immersive - it's been imitated several times (particularly on the 16-bit consoles of the early 90s), but never has it worked as well as it does here. The arcade adventure aspect is great too, with inventive puzzles and some neat clues. The only weak aspect is the beat 'em up action - the enemies keep appearing randomly, which makes your attempts to subdue them seem completely redundant. But apart from that, this is a solid game which is worth checking out for the presentation alone. 8/10.

This was my first C64 game ever, and also one of my favourites. Has Dizzy puzzle solving elements in it mixed together with platform action. Graphics totally suit this type of game and the music is unforgettable. As a bonus, this game comes in 2 parts together in one. One part where you go against The Joker, one against The Penguin, which you can choose.

As Batman games go, this is the best of'em all. The loading screen is superb! The whole look of the game is grat and really well though out.

A game with utterly good graphics and sound (the loading piccy is superb)! Gameplay is OK !!! Worth a couple of tries...

Graphics look pretty good, music is great, it has a neat atmosphere (somehow reminds me of the legendary Batman TV-series of the 60's), but I find it frustatingly hard. For example, you can't totally kill your enemies, they'll always keep on shooting you... Almost a good game... I liked "Batman the movie" more.

This game is the best Batman game ever released. Better than Batman the movie, better than the strange isometric Batman game only availiable for Amstrad & Spectrum etc. Graphics rules, music rules, gameplay rules. Yeah!

I can still hear the moody music in my ears. Loved it - still loving it.
Thank you Batman

This started 14+ Amigas/PC up to WinXP for me - my fave first game - better on C64 than Amiga-PC versions. A version I once had on C64 had Catwoman cracking her whip in the warehouse - oo-er!

Some games are in a league of their own, like this one. I just loved the characters, and the music.

This games brings life to both sides of the Dark Knight. You can beat the s**t out of your enemies with high kicks, punches and batarangs and you also have the detective element in there, whereby you have to solve puns and wordplay which appear at the corner of the screen in order to see which item of your inventory will help you in the particular location. The graphics are hot for the Commodore and the animation of the characters is very well done, (Especially when you recieve a kick or a punch and bats fold up in obvious pain he he!). This game kept me enthralled for months before I finally completed the Joker plot (which had me baffled for ages!) and I could relax my brain and play another title. Get this game if you love Batman and if you don't get it anyway cos it ROCKS!!!