The beloved Lego series returns with a follow-up to the charming Lego Batman. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is exactly what you'd expect, and for those who are looking for just that, it's a building and breaking you shall go.

The Caped Crusader is busting as he returns to a Lego built Gotham for our enjoyment. Built on the same principles as all the Lego games prior, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes shouldn't be a surprise to how it plays or what you'll be doing. Block destruction and building is the name of the game, which is well suited to the TT Games straight shooter formula; no alarms, and no surprises here.

Since we are dealing with the Batman property, the focus is on Batman and Robin and of course, the Joker. Following a child-like path of destruction, the Joker causes trouble once again, mixing in all the other familiar Batman villains things get quickly out of hand. Switching things slightly up is the inclusion of other DC villains and 'DC Super Heroes'. This means we will see some Justice League friends and foes join in the action, including Lex Luther, Wonder Woman , and Superman to name a few. Variety is the spice of life and the spice of LEGO games. If you have played any LEGO game in the past you will know how much re-playing and utilizing different characters abilities help to unlock new parts of the game; and 'Lego Batman 2' is no different.

The plot is “good enough”, but not anything overly captivating. However, the expanded DC cast helps, even if its just a simple cameo. (Hmm, something tells me we'll see a full blown 'Justice League' Lego game in the future.) Returning to the push to unlock is the “Free Play” mode that is unlocked after you complete a mission, or full scale when finishing the entire game. The full open-world world idealism is entertaining in Free Play form and allows for you to get obsessive compulsive about collecting. Hours can easily be sunk into collecting bricks, saving civilians and so-on. This makes Lego Batman 2 a little more appealing to complete all 15 levels.

While enticing on one level, the sandbox approach that has been added to the game is needless. Navigating around Gotham on any number of "Bat" vehicles might seem appealing, but its more tedious than anything. The marker system used to guide the player to points of interest is simply not enough, and without the aid of a mini-map, expect frustration to set in as you quickly get lost. Now, Gotham isn't radically huge, but it's enough to make you wish you could just jump to next part of the game. Yes, loosing a bit of exploration would have been an acceptable trade-off. Beyond the frustrating of locating places, the time it takes to get there and getting stuck on random objects in the world. A little more focus through a "normal" storyline arch would have worked better. I applaud TT Games for the ambition, but I think you have the wrong game here.

In a first, 'Lego Batman 2' has (finally) added voice-overs. This helps the immersion, but it's nothing to brag about, but it is better than the patented “gibberish”. With words, we get more personality and Travellers' tongue-and-cheek humour translates well into verbal responses between characters like Batman and Superman. In addtion to the audio upgrade if you will is a slight boost to the graphics. However, TT plays it safe not to loose its trademark style that works wonders to captive an audience. All the charm, smooth polygonal Lego visualization is perfectly rendered, looking great to any fan of these Lego creations.

Completely predicable, yet totally adorable, Traveller's Tales returns with another “Legoized” photocopy of the not-so Dark Knight, Batman. Batman 2: DC Superheroes might not be as charming as its predecessor, but the basics are covered making it good for quick in-and-out jots. Still, veraciously dull, it's hard to feel the same sense of admiration for this once fresh, now tired formula. Heed your love for the Bat, and think about this one before you slip into that infamous black cap and cowl.

Filled with LEGO charm goodness Batman fans, its more Batman Lots of characters beyond the Batman series As always, the replay value is high Gets old quick when playing solo Beyond boring combat All around, the Artificial Intelligence has no intelligence Sandbox navigation is tedious and unnecessary Quote: "Batman 2: DC Superheroes might not be as charming as its predecessor, but the basics are covered making it good for quick in-and-out jots." Reviewed by Downtown Jimmy | 08.06.12 | Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360

Similar Games: LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (6.0) | LEGO Pirates of the Carribean (7.0) | LEGO Indiana Jones (8.8)