Run away!
Very different from the console title of the same name, this is a more child-oriented take on the classic webspinning hero but which is unfortunately pretty ropy, even given the lower standards by which most will measure it, given its audience. It's not quite as bad as Amazing Spiderman but it's not as good as the old-school Questprobe text adventure, so fans might be better off there instead. Here, you're playing as old Spidey as he battles his way through eight levels of mayhem, facing off against villains like Rhino, Doctor Octopus and Mysterio. There's not much to the actual game other than punching and kicking the various bad guys that you come across, and it's all handled very simplistically, with little more than random button mashing seeming to do the job. You also have access to a supercharged attack and can make use of Spidey's webslinging skills, while movement is quite restricted and offers none of the freedom that you might expect from the licence, as it operates on a sort of point-and-click basis. Spider-Man 2 is certainly up there with the worst of the movie licenses, including Home Alone and Gremlins 2, and is best avoided at all costs. It gets off to a bad start with poor visuals that were outdated at the time of release, with sound that that is equally dodgy. It gets worse when you start to play, with tedious, minimalist gameplay that doesn't require you to actually do very much. This is hampered even more by appallingly unresponsive controls that are just a chore to use, so unless you enjoy terrible games, steer well clear.
