First things first. We normally talk about gameplay and the story, etc, first up but for Spidey 2, we need to make an exception. The very first thing you will notice when playing the game (you get a flyover of the city before you even touch the controls for the first time) is the visuals. They stink. Think Grand Theft Auto 3, if it were done on the PlayStation: really low-detail meshes, even lower detail textures and the entire city LODs out (drops to even lower texture / mesh detail) when it's just virtual metres away from the camera. The overall effect is impressively underwhelming - the screenshots really don't tell the whole story.

Gameplanet has always been of the opinion that gameplay is far more important than graphics, so it's not a showstopper when it comes to reviewing the game. For you graphics freaks out there, looking for something fancy to show off your black box of fury, this ain't the game for you. If you are looking for a fun game to play, however, read on...

The object of Spider-Man 2 (the game) is to take control (via a third-person interface) of Spider-Man himself, as he goes about his daily business. Throughout the course of the game, you will need to save people from falling to their death, stop bank robbers and generally be a superhero. In addition to the random elements, you can also progress the story by participating in missions that follow (generally) the path of Spider-Man 2 (the movie). All of this takes place in a very Grand Theft Auto like open city, with all the freedom of that game and more - you can swing around at high speed - only without the carjacking or property collection. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? It is.

Whilst the general "cruising around, doing stuff and generally exploring" malarky is definitely worth doing, it's the swinging around at lightning speed (just like at the end of the two movies) in and out of traffic that really gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. You are Spider-Man. Climb to the top of the tallest building and just jump off - fall 30 stories and then reach out and Thwip! you are zinging down 5th Avenue like a bat out of Hell without a care in the world. It's crazy, it's fast and it's fan-frigging-tastic. If you ever wanted to be Spider-Man, this is your chance.

New York City didn't quite make it into the game in all its glory, but the good bits are here and it's all condensed up enough so there is plenty to do and it doesn't take too long to get anywhere. You can zip out to the Statue of Liberty or you can pose heroically on top of the Empire State Building. Sure - as discussed, it's not pretty but then when it's all whipping past you at 80 miles an hour, it becomes significantly less concerning.

The control method is remarkably easy to understand and yet perfectly flexible. Simply point the thumbstick in the direction you wish to travel and then Thwiiiip you're off. You can fire out both wrists at once, if you need to, which lets you stop and get your bearings (etc.) and it's easy to change direction or head down a side street. The combat is easy to get to grips with, with Spidey being able to beat and web his foes with enough variety to keep things interesting. A notable omission from the first game is the ability to web-zip yourself along the ground in order to rapidly move about whilst not in the air. That said, with the awesome new jump ability (he can jump very high, low or anywhere in between) and the huge environments to whizz through whilst in the air, it's not a biggie.