Mega-City One, 2129 AD. This vast urban nightmare is situated along the eastern coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated wasteland known as the Cursed Earth to the west and the polluted Black Atlantic to the east. Home to 400 million citizens, crammed into gigantic city-blocks, overcrowding is rife, unemployment endemic and boredom universal. Tensions run a constant knife-edge, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges can prevent total anarchy. Empowered to dispense instant justice, these lawmen are judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of the all is JUDGE DREDD - he is the Law!

Joe Dredd, one of a number of clones of Chief Judge Fargo, is the most famous of the elite corps of Judges that run Mega-City One with the power not only to enforce the law, but also to instantly sentence offenders - and (if necessary) execute them.

Gadgets

Dredd has a large Lawmaster motorbike, which has powerful side-mounted cannons and a centrally-mounted laser (the 'Cyclops' laser), and has full Artificial Intelligence, it is also capable of responding to orders from the Judge, such as driving itself. It is connected to the Justice Department who can receive and transmit information from and to the bike and is equipped with a video communication system.

He also has a handgun which are named Lawgivers (DNA-coded so that no one else may use the weapon - it will explode if it reads an incorrect palmprint) that fires six types of bullets such as Standard/General Purpose, Rubber Ricochet, Armour Piercing, Heat-Seeking, Incendiary and Hi-Ex. It can also fire tracking bullets, stun shots, and more, although it requires loading to do so.

Other weapons he carries as standard include a Scattergun (pump-action shotgun), a daystick, and a boot knife. His uniform consists of a black tunic, green padded boots, kneepads, elbow pads and gloves, golden shoulder pads (the right in the shape of an eagle - the symbol of the Justice Department), and a black and red helmet which almost entirely hides his face (only his mouth and jaw are visible) and has protective lenses, a respirator and communicator built in.