Webbed wonders abound as our spider-friendly chum takes on the world’s most heinous villains! Is this handheld game the closest you’ll get to a portable superhero? Read the review and find out!

In typical comic-book fashion, the bad guys have found a legal loophole and are back on the streets, causing mayhem! Being a superhero, you can’t take this lying down, so it’s on with the spider suit and out through the window to the streets of New York!

The aim is to put an end to this collection of super-villains, who go by the affectionate name of The Sinister Six and control an army of evil-minded thugs who litter the streets and factories.

Work your way through each level to the boss (one of The Sinister Six). Spidey’s equipped with standard superhero abilities — he runs and springs from platform to platform — but also spins his famous webs and swings over great distances.

To cope with the bad guys, Spidey’s got some pretty impressive punches and kicks, and can throw a mean lump of web fluid to knock the baddies out cold!

The action switches from streets to sand pits, flats to factories. The pace is relentless and mini-puzzles need solving in order to move level-blocking obstacles. Remember that the scenery is just as lethal as the bad guys so try to avoid anything that looks like bad news!

That’s the webbed wonder for you: compact, bijou and very sexy in a red and blue leotard!

Paul pronounces... ‘WEB SLINGING ACTION!’

When I was a wee lad, my fave comic-book hero was good old Peter Parker — the amazing Spider-Man! Honest, reliable and a dab-hand at rock climbing! His first Game Gear adventure went down a storm. Has the sequel kept up the tradition of the playable platform romp?

The answer is an emphatic ‘yes’! Spider-Man 2 is every bit as good as the first game and provides hours of comic-book fun! The graphics are very good and the sound surprisingly tolerable for the GG — although the tune gets a tad monotonous when you’ve heard it umpteen times!

The only gripes I can pick are the usual faults found on 8-bit platform romps — ie, the lack of decent puzzle elements to make the levels more challenging. The only obstacles that pose problems are the impossibly-hard end-of-level baddies, who are virtually spider-proof!

And my other whinge is that sprite detection is a bit ropey. If you stand too near a baddie, you can’t hit him, but he can hit you. Weird, eh? It’s little niggles like this that mar a good game.

Don’t let it put you off buying Spider-Man 2. If you’re after a good platform beat-’em-up and liked the original, this one’s a definite buy!

PAUL 82%

Mat grins... ‘MASKED MAYHEM!’

The first GG Spider-Man game was a real blast and so’s this latest offering from Acclaim! Although virtually identical to the MS version, the GG seems to be lacking a few things. The main one Is that Spldey can’t jump and shoot web fluid at the same time. This can be a real pain at times, especially when facing tough villains such as Sandman.

Spider-Man 2’s a real challenge. There’s no difficulty setting to mess around with so you can be sure each level really puts your arachnid powers to the test. The end-of-level guardians are especially tough but ail have an attack pattern that can be studied and used against them.

Once you’ve lost your energy, though, you’re left with a few continues and that’s it! There’s no password system so use your energy sparingly.

For a GG game, the graphics are remarkably crisp and clear. A well-animated Spidey leaps through detailed backgrounds, fighting wacky bad guys.

Acclaim/Flying Edge have come up with the goods once more and released another brilliant, if frustrating, game. Now you can do whatever a spider can!

MAT 83%

SF Rating

Presentation

75 - One life, two continues! Short intro sequence but good cartoon pics

Visuals

82 - Nice and solid sprites with loads ot colour. Good between-level pics

Sonics

72 - Good tune but it gets annoying. Basic sound FX

Playability

81 - Easy to get into. Uncomplicated moves and gameplay

Lastability

82 - With six tough end-of-level baddies, this should last a few weeks

82

Good GG game with enough action to keep most game-freaks happy!

Producer

Flying Edge

GG

May/June

Players

1

Price

£27.99

Rating

82

Reviewer

Sega Force magazine

Region

UK

Scans

Sega Force - Issue 18

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