Catwoman is the story of a shy little Miss Nobody called Patience Philips, who works for cosmetics conglomerate Hedare Beauty.
After accidentally discovering the dark truth about the company`s anti-aging product, she is murdered, only to be resurrected by the breath of life from the spirit of an Egyptian cat, Midnight. Of course, the cat has imbued her with the speed, agility and the keen sense of all things feline.
I am sure many hardcore Catwoman fans will notice that this feline version does not resemble any previous Catwomen from the past. She is fitted with the tightest ripped leather to hit the gaming world and oozes sex appeal.
If that is not enough to get your blood pumping, leave the control for a few minutes and allow the in-game movie to let her pose a little for you. I am sure this will leave most Halle Berry fans needing a nice cold shower.
Animation is smooth with an almost Prince of Persia feel to it, and the game adds a more relaxed, feline agility, with which Catwoman gracefully scales her environment.
Developer Electronic Arts has spared no expense to give her an authentic cat-like feel, even down to the way she walks.
In the game you make your way through the scenes by climbing walls and clinging to mesh fences. Catwoman`s trusty whip allows her to swing from pole to pole and also to grapple and disarm opponents.
You get points based on "Alley Cat" moves (swinging from pole to pole with grace and poise), "Wild Cat" moves (trashing an enemy into pot plants or tossing them out windows), "Pussycat" moves (a distracting taunt or pose), and "Scaredy Cat" moves (attacking an opponent when they attain a yellow glow around them).
At the end of each scene, these points are converted into diamonds that can be used to purchase new combat moves such as Disarm Opponent, Neck Whip, Smell Fear, Pose, Taunt or Advanced Cat Sense.
During the game you also find bonuses known as 'Bling Fragments`, which also add to your score. Some of these are a little difficult to get to and can easily be overlooked.
The controls are extremely difficult to use and will take a lot of practise to get used to. I am sure you will get as frustrated as I did trying to finish a scene over and over and over again, simply because you were pushing the wrong button.
So take time to do the tutorials a few times or you will end up throwing the game out your window in frustration.
The game has some of the most breathtaking graphics I have seen on a PlayStation 2. From the soft shadows on the backdrops, to the realistic variety of coloured light sources that lovingly engulf Catwoman`s world in rich purples, pinks and a silky sheen.
The camera is not in the usual third-person perspective, and it quite often faces her. This makes game play really difficult and almost impossible at times.
You will find times where you cannot see the next platform or pole to reach because the camera is too busy trying to give you a cinematic look and feel.
I ended up using "Cat Sense" - a special mode allowing you to see in-game clues - as an additional camera, more than using it to help find the clues.
Although I did find the game frustrating at times and a little repetitive with the easy fighting scenes, I definitely enjoyed it and it easily kept me awake till the early hours of the morning.
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