Batman Returns is based on the plot of last summer's blockbuster film. As the Dark Knight you must protect Gotham City from The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Red Triangle Gang. This cart has some fantastic cinematic sequences to start the game, and in-between stages using digitized graphics taken right from the movie. The music, unlike the Sega cart or CD, is also taken from the movie soundtrack. All of these elements make it feel like you're actually taking part in movie. But on to the most important question of all, IS IT A GOOD PLAY? Damn Right it is! Konami has made Batman Returns a true fighting game, not at all like the Sega versions. Batman can bash and thrash killer clowns with the best of them. He can even throw them through windows! Batman is also aided by blinding test tube vials, batarangs, and his trusty bat-grappling hook for swinging down on his grease painted enemies and crush clown cranium.

Even though the game is on the dark side, graphically speaking, the blend of colors in the clowns and backgrounds add up to provide the same kind of surrealistic feel you would expect from a cart based on a Tim Burton film.

Even though I liked this cart a lot there are a few things that keep it from being a truly spectacular play. First, the levels are a bit long, which wouldn't be bad if they didn't keep throwing the same clowns at you. Except for the level bosses you fight the same five or six clowns level after level. The fighting aspect of the game somewhat compensated for that in my case. Second, the killer clowns are relatively easy to beat, with the bosses not being much more of a challenge. Yet The Penguin and The Catwoman are hard to beat, but you have to be patient because both of them take quite a while to put down. Third, the cart only has one Bat mobile driving level that is just average (Konami could have learned something from the Sega CD driving levels for this aspect of the game).

Batman Returns is a fine edition to the SNES fighting game catalog, along with the Turtles and Final Fight, and is a lot of fun to play. It has a few bad points but the graphics, sound and most importantly the VIOLENCE make up for them. Batman Returns is really great for those days you're in a bad mood and need to hit something. No doubt about it, you may have been disappointed in the movie, but this Dark Knight delivers.