Judge Dredd is the name of several different games. Some adapt the 2000 AD comic, others the 1995 film, and their rules vary as much as their graphics. The early computer game asks the player to keep crime under control across a city map. A later light-gun game moves the camera along a set route. Both put Dredd’s Lawgiver pistol in the player’s hands, but they make very different use of Mega-City One.
The Melbourne House game
Beam Software developed the first computer adaptation for Melbourne House. The Commodore 64 release is catalogued as 1986; the Spectrum version followed in 1987. Commodore User reviewed the C64 game in its January 1987 issue, and CRASH covered the Spectrum version in March.
Dredd chooses a reported crime on his Lawmaster motorcycle’s display, then enters a side-on platform screen to find the suspect. He can order a halt, fire a warning shot or shoot to kill. His pistol has six ammunition types, including heat-seeking and ricochet rounds. Meanwhile, new crimes continue to appear. More than eight unresolved incidents end the game.
That structure offered more than a straight shooting gallery, but some reviewers found the pursuit repetitive. ZZAP!64 gave the C64 version 13%, criticising both the play and its use of the licence. CRASH gave the Spectrum version 42%. These are separate reviews of separate versions, not a single score for every Dredd game.
Virgin’s comic-strip missions
Virgin Games’ later adaptation was already being reviewed on the Spectrum in October 1990. Its six stages used stories from the comic, including Blockmania and the Dark Judges. The player managed both Dredd’s health and the city’s crime level, with objectives such as stopping contaminated water supplies.
CRASH thought it a better adaptation than Melbourne House’s game, but found that the stages repeated similar tasks. It awarded 76% overall. Its review also described the Justice Department computer used before play, a detail that helped put the action in Dredd’s world.
Film action and light guns
The 1995 film brought another adaptation. Nintendo Power’s July 1995 coverage credits Probe Software as developer and Acclaim as publisher of the Super NES game. It described twelve stages based on the film, with ammunition supplies and armed opponents packed into platform environments.
Gremlin’s 1997 game returned to the comic and used light-gun shooting. Edge’s September preview describes a PlayStation game with pre-rendered scenery, destructible objects and occasional route choices made by shooting a particular target. Gremlin told the magazine it had deliberately avoided a tie to the Stallone film. An arcade version was published by Acclaim; the PlayStation and arcade releases should not be confused with the earlier film game.
Rebellion’s Dredd
Rebellion’s Dredd vs. Death arrived in 2003 as a first-person shooter. Arrests were part of its rules: a law meter rewarded proper conduct and could end the mission if the player killed indiscriminately. Edge reviewed the retail Xbox version in its Christmas 2003 issue, praising the atmosphere but criticising faults and limited tactical variety. It gave five out of ten. Rebellion’s PC listing also describes disarming and arresting suspects, alongside cooperative play.
Later games included Judge Dredd vs Zombies, released for iPhone and iPad in 2011. It used single-stick controls and upgradeable weapons for short battles against the undead. Rebellion’s App Store history records a compatibility update in January 2024, extending the life of that particular adaptation well beyond its original release.
Sources
- Commodore User, January 1987, p. 40: Melbourne House C64 review.
- ZZAP!64 issue 22, February 1987, p. 92: C64 mechanics and 13% verdict.
- CRASH issue 38, March 1987, p. 24: Beam credit, Spectrum mechanics and 42% verdict.
- CRASH issue 81, October 1990, p. 48: Virgin game, six stages, crime/energy rules and 76% overall.
- Nintendo Power volume 74, July 1995, “Judge Dredd”: Super NES film adaptation and Probe/Acclaim credits.
- Edge issue 49, September 1997, pp. 32–33: Gremlin’s PlayStation preview and distinction from the film licence.
- Edge issue 131, Christmas 2003, “Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death”: released retail Xbox game, law meter and 5/10 verdict.
- MobyGames, Judge Dredd catalogue, related games: 1986 C64 and 1987 Spectrum dates (web, secondary).
- GameFAQs, Judge Dredd arcade release data: Acclaim and November 1997 (web, secondary).
- Rebellion, Dredd vs. Death on Steam: PC features; its store date is a later release, not the original 2003 launch (publisher listing).
- TouchArcade, Judge Dredd vs Zombies, 1 December 2011; Rebellion, App Store listing and version history: mobile features and January 2024 update (web, contemporary coverage and publisher record).