This is the latest in a series of games based on Judge Dredd, starting with the original Games Workshop edition in the 1980s and two editions/supplements put out by Mongoose for D20/OGL and the Traveller rules respectively.

The main appeal of the game lies with it's setting material, which has a 40+ year comic library and has very much a cult following in the UK at least. The 2000AD comics are very gonzo, 'punk' infused, action based storylines and this remains an enduring appeal to many - although curiously, it's never fully transported it's fanbase into America where DC and Marvel comics were entirely dominant, truth be told. Much of the art within is drawn from the comics, which adds a degree of style - yet in other ways the layout, font and general interior design could have been better. Having owned the previous versions of the game, they generally seemed less cluttered and easier to read (the font size) than this current edition.

This edition has maximised it's utility by being a springboard core rules book, primarily for Judge Dredd's Mega City One setting (as the most popular), but detailing a potential expansion through all the various strips in the comics. This is a welcome expansion, along with having built in rules for playing Judges, Perps (criminals) or Citizens - which means it's pretty much a cyberpunk-ish type of game from the core. This is a pretty familar game premise of course, but it wouldn't take too much to create some crossover with other settings as they build on the line.

It's WOIN system that powers it is only so-so, however. The core mechanic is familar to anyone who knows D6-based dice-pools, which may seem promising as an easy, fast and loose system akin to WEG's old Ghostbusters or Star Wars games. Yet, there are lots more rules stipulations and character generation in particular is a lot more involved. I didn't get the sense that the rules were especially adapted for the setting or, indeed, had any particular innovation of note. What they seemed like, honestly, was a set of homebrewed house-rules that had managed to see print and the game was essentially adapted to it's format rather than the other way round. In short, they aren't anything special.

As such, it is an OK game, but if you're already playing a gonzo action game using Savage Worlds, Fate or whathaveyou, and you aren't buying the game just for the 2000AD setting, I'm not sure there is that much that will persuade you to change your mind.