Batman: Arkham Asylum

There's a reason this will sell like hotcakes: it's got Batman in the title. There's another reason as well: it's surprisingly awesome. A word of warning though: anyone expecting a dark, Christopher Nolan-esque exploration of the tortured psyche of Bruce Wayne should be advised that this is the Batman of the (recent) comics, not the movies. Mind you, there is plenty of psychological torture (hey, Scarecrow's got to have something to work with).

As we begin the game Batman has taken down Joker (yet again), but it's been uncharacteristically easy. Therefore, from the outset, even as he drives to Arkham Asylum – home of Gotham's criminally insane – he's sure he's walking into a trap. Sure enough, Joker and equally-mad partner Harley Quinn have collected an impressive who's-who of Batworld villainy in the locked-down asylum to finally take the Caped Crusader out.

On the one hand, it's all pretty straightforward. You have levels that, despite the possibilities suggested by Arkham's rambling grounds, are fairly linear (then again, Joker is deliberately herding you into a trap...) but you still need to use your tools, your wits and a good dose of strategy in order to proceed. Sometimes you need to sneak about. Other times you need to burst in and whip everyone's arse. Still other times you'll be staring in every direction using the hidden-element-finding "Detective Vision" in a desperate attempt to work out where the hell you're meant to go. Fortunately, Riddler has left collectables around the place for you, which means that even your missteps are likely to turn up something interesting.

Fans will particularly enjoy the ride. Joker is the playful, murderous psychopath of the post-Dark Knight Returns comics era – somewhere between Heath Ledger's psychotic disconnect and Caesar Romero's TV series flamboyance – and nemeses such as Bane, Killer Croc, Victor Zsasz and Poison Ivy also turn up to keep things interesting. Commissioner Gordon's there too, naturally, as is his daughter Barbara, aka Oracle (formerly Batgirl, until Joker shot her in the spine, rendering her paraplegic). And non-fans can relax: there's a data file as you go so you can keep track.

Gameplay is easy to pick up, since it's hardly innovative, and that in itself is proof that a great game is less about trying to find some zany new way to use the machine (reading this, Nintendo?) and all about having good story, great atmosphere and attention to detail. Arkham Asylum is already being hailed as the finest comic book game yet, but that seems almost to damn it with faint praise. The story mode is superb, the challenge modes are addictive fun, and the collectables will have you poring over the maps again and again and again. In short, this is easily one of the best games of the year.

More television, DVDs, games and gadgets in Sydney? Sign up to our weekly newsletter