Well somethings up....
I just couldn't shake the feeling I was missing something...
Dusted off Arkham much sooner than I expected too and gave it another serious bash and the more I play the more hooked I'm becoming.
Don't know why I didn't 'get' this first time around...maybe it's just taken some time to step away and ponder the rules and think about things. But now it's all falling into place and for some reason it's no where near as complicated as I first thought.
So glad I gave this one a second chance....