At the end of his first blockbuster movie, the web-slinging wonderkid declared: "With great power comes great responsibility". He wasn't wrong either; this year's Spider-Man 2 movie will probably break all box office opening records, and as such Activision has a great responsibility to deliver a worthy videogame accompaniment. Fans of the first film would no doubt have lapped up the ace original game Spider-Man: The Movie yet SM2 takes a much more free-roaming path through the streets of New York, and we're pleased to say it's all the better for it.

The narrative intro is a bit superfluous if you've any concept of the Spidey phenomenon (and let's face it, who doesn't?), though it does give Tobey Maquire and co the chance to earn a bit of extra cash on the side - in fact all the characters from the film are voiced by their respective thespians, adding great authenticity to the game. Spidey's a bit older now so has a bit more freedom to hang out later and pick up girls. More freedom in a literal sense too, because Spidey now has an entire scaled replica of New York City at his sticky fingertips.

All the recognisable landmarks are present, from Staten Island to the Chrysler Building and, of course, The Daily Bugle. A full-on, living, breathing, dynamic city is now your potential playground, and Spidey can explore to his heart's content from street level right up to the highest point in the city, the top of the Empire State Building. Spidey can literally climb up and over every single physical object, and the massive free-roaming environment is an absolute joy to explore.

This is complemented by a fantastic new swing technique, aided by a much more natural and satisfying physics system. The Right trigger still squirts magic white goo from Spidey's wrist, though this time your whippy web string will actually attach to a physical object, be it a building, tree, lamp-post or hovering helicopter. Gone is the invisible ceiling of the original game that saw our arachnid float along between rooftops, now you'd fall until your cord catches onto something. Holding the Left trigger at the base of our swing gives Spidey extra momentum during his pendulum motion, and releasing at the peak of the swing (A button) catapults the red-suited avenger way up into the stratosphere. It's possible to cover massive distances in one go until this graceful and fluid technique - vital for some of the tougher timed missions. This is a hugely enjoyable experience on the player's part, and the camera comes into its own by snaking along the streets and rooftops behind the character, really immersing players in Spidey's world and making them feel like Peter Parker taking his first, tentative suspended steps.

To accompany this free-roaming environment, the gameplay is suitably non-linear for the most part. As you canter through the huge city, your Spidey sense will tingle and you'll be alerted to a random street crime. These are entirely optional, often cropping up whilst you're en route to a main objective, and you've got the choice of undertaking these missions that include intervening in armed robberies, rescuing a dangling construction worker, or halting a stolen car. Whether you intervene or keep on moving, combat plays a huge part in Spider-Man 2, and has been significantly tweaked from the original game. A whole wealth of web- and fist-based combos are on offer, through the X and Y buttons, with B providing a rather handy dodge function whenever your Spidey Sense tingles. The complex combat actually requires a bit of thought and strategy, and is tactically more akin to a competent beat-'em-up rather than standard actioner button-mashing.

It's important to carry out a certain number of these missions however, because doing your duty to the city results in hero points. They might not mean prizes but they certainly enable Spidey to purchase the numerous upgrades from the Comic Book Store. There's no fat sci-fi geek behind the counter but there is numerous swing, combat and health upgrades that make Spidey that bit stronger, helping on his quest. As well as beefing up the webslinger, these upgrade points play a vital role in unlocking further story missions. Initially fun, they quickly begin to grate, becoming very repetitive, very quickly. Fair enough if there was a separate roaming mode, but you get to the stage where you just want to get on with the story without faffing around earning the required few thousand points first.

And so on to the story then. Peter Parker is feeling the strain of being a superhero; his studies are failing, he's distancing himself from Mary Jane, though through OsCrop he does meet the brilliant Dr. Otto Octavius. Like the film, he goes on to become Spidey's main adversary, though you'll have to fight through a fair number of irksome random missions to get your fix of the Octopussed outlaw.

And, it would be fair to say, that's the only real gripe we've got with Spider-Man 2, but it is a fairly major one. We love the idea of a completely free-roaming environment but when you just want to hammer the intriguing (especially if you haven't seen the film) story, it's more of a hindrance than a joy. The swing system is fantastic and totally immersive, and it's a real joy to hare around the great-looking cityscape. The random missions, delivered by rather rough-looking generic characters, genuinely detract from the real game, and though paving the way for non-linear gameplay, are a bit much. But try not to get too bogged down in these, and we're left with an incredibly fun and authentic Spidey experience; just master the swing technique and you'll be content to fly around for hours, and the fantastically fast camera adds to the enjoyment. Pull on the mask and take Spider-Man 2 out for a spin - you won't be disappointed.

1. Movie Madness
   Obviously no Spidey movie tie-in would be complete without unlockable goodies. Locate the 99 hidden secret icons, usually dotted around atop obscure buildings, to view all the usual movie stills and concept art.
2. Campbell It Up!
   The tutorial is once again presided over by the ever-sardonic Bruce Campbell from the first game. This Raimi favourite featured as the wrestling MC in the first film and as Ash in the ace Evil Dead movies.

1. Fantastic swinging
2. Accessible and fun combat combos
3. Huge environment to explore from sidewalk to rooftop

1. Random missions get very repetitive

Power
Massive draw distances look spectacular, but the FMV is marred by shabby character design.

Style
Perfectly captures the wisecracking webslinger's world. Real actors' voices add to the experience.

Immersion
A fun tutorial and simple combat means you'll be smashing and swinging around in no time.

Lifespan
You'll clock story mode in twelve hours, but free-roaming possibilities mean you could swing forever.

Summary
Brilliantly puts players in Spidey's shoes, helped by a silky smooth swing system and massive playground to explore.