Standard comic-book action
There have been plenty of video game adaptations of the legendary comic book hero over the years and while this less than well known version isn't exactly the Man of Steel's finest hour, it isn't awful and is worth a brief play for fans. Superman is a reasonably imaginative take on the licensed game genre, and mixes some of the staple levels found in games like Robocop or The Untouchables with some Space Harrier-style flying which captures our hero's unique ability quite well. Story-wse, the game sees both Lex Luthor and Darkseid featured as villains, with Superman battling his way through the various levels trying to stop their usual nefarious schemes. The game opens with the aforementioned 3D flying level, where Superman finds himself attacked by demons, before moving on to a side-scrolling beat 'em up-style level, where players must rescue Lois Lane who has got herself kidnapped by terrorists (again). After this, Superman goes into space in a vertically scrolling shooter, with subsequent levels alternating between these general styles, with the climax seeing you face off against Luthor and his 'geo-disruptor'. Graphically, Superman is unspectacular but is certainly no travesty, with recognisable and pleasingly chunky sprites, smooth scrolling and slick animation. The cutscenes are a tad blocky but sound effects are satisfyingly chunky and add much to the atmosphere. The various gameplay styles are all implemented well enough and add some variety to proceedings and while they are lightweight, they make for some briefly entertaining comic-book action for undemanding retro fans.
