Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six

We're all aware that he can 'do whatever a spider can', but Spider-Man also has a lot of advantages that a regular spider would be jealous of. For instance, when Spider-Man is taking a bath he doesn't have to put up with a woman screaming at him. He certainly doesn't end up underneath a cup, being escorted outside by a rather miffed boyfriend, does he? Or what about when he's using a drainpipe to climb the side of a building, does the rain come down and flush him out? No! It's also a fact that he doesn't get a bunch of nasty little kids chasing after him so that they can pull his legs off. (Paul! Talk about the game! Remember, the game? – Roy.) Er... so, in many respects he's lucky, but unlike a spider, Spider-Man does have to put up with the constant threat of evil forces kidnapping his relatives. It's this very problem that Spider-Man (AKA: Peter Parker) has to deal with in this latest Game Boy Color outing.

Web Wise

Yes, Spidey fans, it looks as though a whole host of trouble is about to hit town and everyone's favourite webslinger is the only guy able to take on some of the most nefarious criminals to ever grace the Game Boy Color. By running, swinging and fighting your way through a shed-load of action-packed levels, you (as Spidey) must take on the enemy in order to save your aunt from the clammy clutches of a mysterious foe!

The action is viewed in the usual side-scrolling platform style which is typical of the GBC. What is not typical is that because this is Spider-Man we are talking about here, he can cling to nearly any surface and he can also sail through the air thanks to his webslinging, swinging powers! This opens up the playing arena to encompass not just the ground but to places high above, including the buildings that tower over the various areas, which makes for fantastic freedom of movement and ensures that the game is a great deal of fun to get into.

It also means this game is not as straightforward as other platform games. Instead of simply moving left to right whilst whacking the odd enemy until you get to the end, you instead get to go in any direction you like. In many cases you have to explore every square inch to fulfil your objectives which ultimately benefits the gameplay immensely!

Kerb Crawling

The game itself looks rather fantastic. The main bulk of the game captures the cartoon look of the comics perfectly. The cut-scenes too look just as marvellous. Spider-Man is animated well so he moves fluidly across the levels. Each leap, punch or crawl looks good and feels easy to control. Possibly the only drawback to this would be that the collision detection seems a little off. Sometimes you can land a punch on a heinous villain while not seeming to be all that close to him, which may not sound too bad from a player's point of view, but when the same can be said for an attack on Spider-Man, it soon becomes obvious that this is not always an ideal situation!

The only other problem is that all the levels are fairly similar, with little or no variety to spice up the challenge. While it might take you quite a while to get through the whole game, the fact that every level offers you the same basic challenge can make it quite tedious after a while. In fact, it's only the end of level bosses that break up the monotony of the main bulk of the game. To be honest though, Tomb Raider had similar problems and yet that was still an extremely addictive title!

Overall, you can forgive the game's shortcomings because Spider-man 2 is a tip-top platform title and certainly one of the best of its genre. For those of you with a taste for adventure and a penchant for action, mixed with a wee bit of strategy, this game is just about perfect!

Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six is an action game about Spider-Man's adventures against old enemies. Dr. Octopus apparently got tired of constant clashes with Spider-Man and decided to get rid of the annoying superhero once and for all. The Sinister Six are a team of villains and they have once again attacked Spider-Man's significant other to lure him into a devious trap. Go in pursuit of Aunt May's kidnappers and fight the members of the Sinister Six: Mysterio, Sandman, Vulture, Scorpion and Kraven.

Game Pros:

• Six levels with a new boss at the end of each one
• Use Spider-Man's skills to win