File this under "it's about time" - other than Batman and Superman, DC Comics characters have been pretty much shut out of good video games for what seems like ages. Does anyone out there recall that Green Lantern game for the SNES? Cancelled. Lobo SNES? Ditto. Well, there was an Aquaman game from a few years back, but I'd rather not talk about the experience of playing that here. Anyway, thanks to Warner Bros. Interactive, Eidos, Snowblind Studios and Dwayne McDuffie, Justice League Heroes is now available at your favorite game shop and it's a winner. The game takes the well-known characters from the top-rated cartoon, places them in a wonderfully rendered game world with a great plot, wrapping them up in Snowblind's stellar game engine and rule set for a memorably action-packed, albeit brief adventure in the DC Universe.

There's a decidedly old-school vibe here, as the game foregoes any sort of tacked on online mode for single or co-op play. However, this works wonderfully once you get it in your head that there's a story to be told here and you're meant to enjoy the game as it unfolds. After a meteorite crashes in the desert and is collected by S.T.A.R. labs in Metropolis, an army of robots attacks the city. You initially play a few maps as Superman and Batman, which show off the definite differences between the two heroes, then it's a switch to Zatanna and The Martian Manhunter for another few stages until you've played as all seven of the main characters, mixing and matching in certain missions. You're after Brainiac, who's teamed up with Queen Bee, The Key, Killer Frost and Gorilla Grodd, along with an army of robots and other minions that require a bit of smash therapy to put them down for the count. There's also an awesome plot twist that I won't spoil, but as a guy who grew up reading DC Comics during the early Seventies, I was certainly knocked for a loop big time by the surprise guest who shows up.

As you punch and power your way through the game you collect green orbs that add experience points to your team of two. Leveling up allows you to assign points to each hero's skills, allowing for more hit points, faster attacks, new super moves and so forth. You also collect six types of Boosts from defeated enemies. These can be dropped into each of your team members' skills to enhance them to great effect. If you're on the ball, you'll combine three high-level Boosts and come up with more powerful versions that can make even low-level characters powerhouses early on. The cool thing is you're allowed to slot things wherever you wish, provided the stat has been unlocked. Adding a level seven speed boost to a health slot allows for faster regeneration, while adding duration to an attack slot lets you stun enemies a few seconds longer than a standard punch.

Each character has a number of his or her signature traits, so it's fun to have Wonder Woman use her bracelets to send missile launcher shots ricocheting back toward the source, Batman tossing multiple batarangs or The Flash spinning like a human whirlwind, sending enemies flying into the air. Clever players will take advantage of the hidden combos using two characters - for example, Green Lantern can box in a tough enemy while The Flash runs into the box and beats the trapped foe senseless. Superman can freeze enemies solid, allowing The Martian Manhunter to mind blast them, while Zatanna's ability to change multiple baddies to harmless rabbits makes for a quick end to large groups while paired with any partner. Actually, Zatanna ends up as one of the most useful characters if you properly level her up and create/find some powerful Boosts.

Similar to other Snowblind RPGs, injured characters merely need to get away from battle to regain their health and energy. Other than the dropped heath or energy icons, only Zatanna can heal herself and other allies. This makes some battles a bit challenging on the first play through, particularly with enemies that attack from all angles or from off the screen. Of course, you can do the same, so a great strategy is to partner a ranged character with a melee-based hero whenever possible. You also collect JLH shields and use them to buy new costumes for your team or new characters to use in the game. After a few missions you can pick groups of two heroes to tackle certain missions and it's here that the real challenge lies. Do you stick with the leveled up team members you have, or do you break in a new face or two?

Of course, this is a bit tough, particularly as the first area you can do this is happens to be packed with Gorilla Grodd's superhuman ape army. These brutes come at you hard, packing powerful laser weapons and punches that can whittle your new team member's health down to nothing in two or so hits. My suggestion is to stock up on boosts and slot them in the new guy or gal's health and energy, then hit the options screen and adjust the experience gained. Once that's done, you need to play as the new character, toggling back to your already beefed up partner for support against some gangs of enemies. While the AI is good and you can toggle between offensive, defensive and standard attack modes, occasionally your partner will get stuck jumping up and down or running in circles a few yards back because he or she is trying to get at someone off-screen through a wall. You can either hit up on the D-pad to take control of this little issue, which zaps the other character to you instantly, or you can press forward and your teammate drops in once you get too far away.

There's a level cap at 20, but you'll need to play through three to four times to max out the main seven heroes. You'll definitely want to unlock and use Green Arrow, Huntress, Hawkgirl and Aquaman for their powerful leveled up attacks, but the other Green Lanterns have the same skills as the one you start with, so I can see a few players sticking with one throughout their time with the game. However, a powered up GL is a great character, with his homing shot and protective dome, so imagine how two of them would fare. Again, customization is all up to the player and replaying on every difficulty level ends up being an addiction that makes it tough to put down. You'll soon end up with a ton of shields once you buy everything, so it's too bad there isn't more hidden stuff here to unlock. This leads to my biggest knock against the game - it needed more unique heroes as unlockable characters. I did (and do) love the costume variants though, as each one boosts certain stats for the heroes that can equip them.

Snowblind has done an excellent job in putting their third-generation engine to great use. The character models are animated wonderfully, while environments are varied and highly detailed, with destructible elements like lampposts, vehicles and even trees. A nice, true to the comics touch here is that the less superhuman characters like Zatanna, Batman and Green Arrow can't pick up and toss cars around as Superman or Wonder Woman can, although the game does restrict your movement to low flying and less speedy than in the comics or JLH cartoon. This is perfectly acceptable again, as this is a Snowblind game. Had they made The Flash run at super speed or Superman fly as fast as he does, the levels would have to be a heck of a lot larger than they are here. While this might have made for a longer game, you have to take into consideration a ton of other elements that would have required altering. But I digress - my favorite levels in terms of visuals are the outer space portions followed up by a great high-tech undisclosed location I won't spoil, as it has something to do with the big plot mindblower.

The sound production is solid, with a fine voice cast that includes Ron Perlman and Michael Jai White, among others, who lend the appropriate heroic (and villainous) flair to their respective characters. Superman, of all people, gets off the best line near the endgame - you definitely won't miss it, as it's delivered flawlessly and gets a smirk from Batman in a cut scene. There are also some really funny moments here, thanks to McDuffie's scripting, as he allows for a few one-liners from both sides of the conflict. There is a bit of repetition as the game goes on, so expect to hear plenty of repeated catchphrases. Still, it's worth putting the controller down just to hear what the characters say when you let them do nothing for too long. The score is dynamic and ranges from heroic sounding motifs to ominous mechanical tunes and a bit of guitar-driven tracks. I've played through the game five times and never get tired of the music. Oh, back to humor for a second - keep your eyes peeled for a hilarious Donkey Kong reference during the Gorilla Grodd battle. Try not to defeat him too quickly the first time out is all I'll say.

While the lack of online play isn't a bad thing, I know many gamers out there will want it, should a sequel be produced. The main game here takes about ten to twelve hours, depending on the difficulty level, while a second or third (or fifth) play through should take much less time if you're well boosted enough. I'd like to see larger levels, a few more playable characters, more unlockable costumes, the ability to replay using any combination of heroes, solo play (without having you kill off your AI partner!) and perhaps Wonder Woman's invisible jet in a mission. Sure, that's a big wish list, but the best thing about a sequel is the 'more factor'. For Justice League Heroes though, what's here is an excellent beginning to what could be an incredible franchise, so if you're a DC fan looking for a bit of vindication, you're off to a really great start here.

Reviewed by Greg Wilcox for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).