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Latveria is an Eastern European nation ruled by the iron fist of one man, Dr Doom. A twisted scientific and criminal genius, he's stolen the ultimate weapon, a C4V.G. thermo-nuclear missile. Let the world beware of Dr Doom's Revenge!

Two men stand in his way - two of the greatest heroes ever to walk the earth - Captain America and the Incredible Spiderman. Never before in the lore of comics have so few tried to stop the evil of so many in the face of such outrageous odds. You see, to ensure his plot succeeds, Doom has enlisted the cream of super villany - Rhino, Machete, Oddball the Grey Gargoyle and friends. The stage is set for an epic struggle, with the very fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Cap and Spidey have followed the trail of the stolen missile to Doom's fortress and must break in to destroy it. Each room of the castle is occupied by a different foe - a villain or a robot - who must be encouraged into submission by a shield in the face or web to the body.

Comic book pages flash on the screen as the story unfolds, with CA being the first to do battle. His route takes him up against Doom's security droids first, little more than target practice for the shield and fists. It's a straight head-to-head and you can find out how good superheroes really are. Captain America's - and Spidey's for that matter - moves vary according to the distance they are from the guy they want to stave in. The three different distances multiplying your options for knocking-out these foolish fellows. Each move, at each range, has its uses against a very particular villain.

Rhino is the first 'famous' victim. This radioactive 'dump truck' is dangerous, and can blow you out in a matter of a few hits, but he's also slow and real stupid. A few smart acrobatic tumbles soon has the incredible bulk facing the wrong way and begging for a shield in the mush. Deck him, and the comic pages hit the screen once more, this time detailing Spiderman's fate.

Your friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler also warms up on a robot, but his task is made easier with his web shooters and the ability to hide on the ceiling! Even the 'bots atomic pile-driver can't harm him there, and it's just a matter of biding your time, then dropping and bopping. The next man on the hit list for old 'web-features' is Machete, a terrorist turned mercenary, who has a disturbing fondness for razor-sharp swords.

Machete is a real sucker for the webs, but Spiderman only has a limited number of shots for the whole game. So the battles involving 'web-head' have an extra dimension, where you must try to balance web economy against staying alive, all while beating the other guy to a pulp. Tense is too small a word for it.

Once Machete is KO'ed then more comic pages flick up and Cap is back in action. He's had a breather and is a little healthier than before, but needs all the help he can get for his next foe Zaran. A dart-throwing nutter, Zaran is much more mobile than Rhino and, when not trying to pin CA down with missiles, he tries to punch his star-spangled lights out.

The rest of the Doom crew are an even more impressive bunch: Batroc, Boomerang, Dr Doom, Electro, Grey Gargoyle, Hobgoblin, Eduardo Lobo, Oddball and Rattan. All with a special skill and a deep dislike of anyone who rights wrongs for a living.

The game relies for its initial impact on the graphic quality of the two stars of this fight night. Both Spiderman and Captain America are true to their Marvel roots. The sprites are brilliantly drawn and move the way only men who wear tights for a living could. Cap twists into realistically unnatural positions when fighting and throwing his shield, while your friendly neighbourhood web-spinner hangs on the ceiling looking desperately from side to side in a thoroughly authentic manner.

The rest of the supporting cast, villains and backgrounds alike, are colourful, and move well and fast, if not always smoothly. They even go some way to letting the audio department off the hook for the pitiful sound effects.

All combat games need close in-fighting action to succeed, and Dr Doom is real edge-of-the-keyboard stuff. The flexibility of the fighting moves and the variety available all help the game live up to the expectations you have of real superheroes.

Three levels of difficulty take you from a tough game to one which is nearly impossible. You have to rely on instinct every time a new room is reached and a new villain faced - a villain whose abilities and weapons are unknown. It may look simple being a super-hero, relying on special powers to see you through, but remember, the guys you have to beat up on have superpowers too, and don't relish the prospect of imminent concussion.

Paragon Software has done a superb job in bringing two classic characters to life. They move and fight exactly as their artists' first intended.

The game essentially appears to be little more than a Street Fighter clone, with repeated battles on different screens against various opponents. However, the whole project is bound up with the superhero magic that's embodied by Marvel. If you've ever even just flicked through a Spiderman comic, than this game will got its hooks into you real quick. First you want to play out being Captain America or the 'wall-crawler', then you feel the irrepressible need to teach those villains a heavy lesson. But be warned: it ain't easy being a caper. 'Nuff said.

Just another beat-'em-up with the added attraction of the Marvel cartoon characters. If you're a fan of the comics then you may go for this, but as far as I'm concerned it had little to offer.

Beat Zaran

Blue on blue means occasional eye-strain.

Graphics 93%
P. Real superhero stars.
P. An arsenal of fighting moves.

Sonics 1%
N. Oh, so this is a sound effect!

Grab Factor 67%
P. An instant hit for comic fans.
N. A curiosity for others.

Staying Power 81%
P. A rogues' gallery of foes.
P. Very touch to beat on the easy level.

Overall 80%
A comic classic.