2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum brought new hope to gamers everywhere. For one, Rocksteady proved that video game licensing could be successful commercially and resonate with the fans.

If you haven't heard about Batman: Arkham City or its 2009 predecessor, Batman: Arkham Asylum, you just might be living in a cave. Not the batcave mind you, but some dingy moss-lined cave complete with centipedes and icky little creatures that scuttle across you while you sleep on the stone floor.

One year on from the events of Arkham Asylum, Gotham's mayor has decided to house Arkham's undesirables in a cordoned off area of the city's slums – the titular Arkham City. Under the supervision of Hugo Strange and a group of mercenaries for hire, the city has split into various factions led by the...

As you win battles, you earn experience points and periodically level up, which lets you upgrade your suit, gadgets, and combat skills. These upgrades have a real impact on gameplay and create a rewarding sense of growth as you advance through the game.

Atmospheric; fascinating world rich with details and secrets; Satisfying; varied; hard-hitting combat; Grappling and soaring around the city is thrilling; Great assortment of involving side quests; Makes terrific use of a host of Batman characters

Boss fights are too easy

A different Arkham, but excellent all the same

Breath-takingly pretty; Batman's even more capable; Plenty of distractions; Yet more variety

The main plot's not as strong

The engaging story, beautifully twisted environments, superb voice acting and deep combat make playing Batman: Arkham City an absolute pleasure. There's tonnes to do and it's all great fun.

Batman: Arkham City is one of the greatest games ever made. Period.

Unbelievable production value and art design brings Gotham to life; A wealth of content offers spectacular value; Polished gameplay and useful gadgets give the player an incredible number of options to take down opponents

Some of the advanced augmented reality gliding missions are nearly impossible

Arkham Asylum had only one major flaw – the game was so painstakingly, overwhelmingly, wonderfully thorough in its depiction of the Bat...

One of the best Batman stories ever told; Gotham setting thats stunning in both size and detail; Enough content to keep you busy for 25; even 50 hours

Catwoman could be handled better; Two-Face is a little one-note; Worrying that this can never be topped

It's a role-playing game, when you get down to it. Not just because you gain XP, engage in a little light levelling and are free to sharpen your combat skills one upgrade at a time.

2009 Batman: Arkham Asylum was hailed by many as the greatest superhero game of all time, but Batman: Arkham City arguably takes the genre to new heights with the introduction of a stunning open-world setting and more fully-realised characters.