The death of a villain at the hands of a mysterious assassin was just the beginning. As explosions rock Gotham City, Batman races to meet a new foe, but encounters a force that may cause even the Dark Knight to fall. In the guise of the billionaire, Bruce meets John Doe's 'friends' and becomes enmeshed in a plot where the only way out is to go deeper in. But at what cost...?

Episode two, The Pact, of Batman: The Enemy Within was a bit of a disappointment after the promising first episode.

The two main issues I had were that firstly it was way too short and very easy to complete and secondly there was no real feeling that you were actually making any real choices - and they certainly didn't seem to affect the outcome of the game. When I checked my progress, when compared to other gamers at the end of this episode, I discovered that pretty much everyone had made the same choices.

This episode we get to meet Harleen Quinzel (aka Harley Quinn) as well as Victor Fries (aka Mr Freeze) and Bane. And this aspect alone is of interest as Harley Quinn has yet to become John Doe's (aka The Joker) girlfriend. In fact John is still bordering on being a misunderstood soul. He's clumsy and awkward, but he's not really that bad a guy... he's still yet to turn into the psychopathic madman that is The Joker.

Fans of Batman will find much to smile at here, but it's sadly lacking in the gaming department. It's pretty much an animated comic with the barest of choices to make. Which is a total shame.

Even the conclusion is disappointing. It left me thinking it was just the end of the chapter and that the next part would load up shortly.

Sadly, Telltale Games have dropped the ball on this episode. Let's hope that they pick up the choices and the actual "gaming" element for the following episodes.

6

Darren Rea