In this latest chapter from the award-winning studio behind Batman - The Telltale Series, both Bruce Wayne and Batman are forced into precarious new roles. The Riddler has returned to terrorize Gotham City, but his gruesome puzzles merely foreshadow an even greater crisis. With the arrival of a ruthless federal agent and the return of a still nascent Joker, Batman must navigate uneasy alliances while Bruce Wayne undertakes a perilous series of deceptions. Which of Batman’s new allies will you choose to trust? And how deep into the darkness will you let Bruce descend...?

This new season is accessible to both returning fans and newcomers alike, though players' choices from the first season of Batman: The Telltale Series will optionally carry over into The Enemy Within. This season also includes Telltale's multiplayer 'Crowd Play' feature, which allows friends and family to engage with the adventure together by helping to decide the direction of the story from any mobile device with an online connection.

For those that played and enjoyed the first installment of Telltale Games's Batman, you won't need my encouragement to pick this new game up. The events of Batman: The Enemy Within pick up where you left off in the last game. However, unlike some episodic releases, you don't need to have played the first game - but, I strongly advise that you do.

I started this with no knowledge of the first game. However, I'm going to take the time before the second part of this installment is released, to download and play the first game and then replay this chapter ready to tackle Part 2.

If you've never played a game like this before you need to understand it's not so much a game as an interactive animated movie. In places you do feel like you're being hand held through it and simply going through the motions... but what makes this game so damn addictive is that you get to make a lot of choices that actually do impact on how the game unfolds. Characters can be saved or die, alliances can be forged or friendships destroyed. And, as in real life, you don't have the luxury to sit and think about your choices. You get a short while to choose and if you don't pick in time then the game randomly selects one of the options for you.

It's the "WTF" moments (of which there are plenty) that get the old adrenaline going and helps you to really connect to the characters. At the end of the game you're also shown what percentage of those that have completed it also made the same key decisions that you did.

Artistically, the game is rendered to make it appear like a comic book, which works well. And the vocal talents are well realised too.

It's a fantastic interactive experience and I can't wait for the next episode.

9

Darren Rea